One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
by margravinel
Summary: Sequel to A New Beginning? Or the End? and All Life's Journeys. Whilst one of the group fights for their life, others must face past mistakes and the people that they fear the most.
1. Chapter 1

**(Honeygrove Emergency Room)**

_**Lucas' voiceover: What is time? Is it solely the measure of our existence upon this earth? Or is it something more?**_

Peyton sat in the waiting room of Honeygrove Memorial Hospital's emergency room, staring blankly at the clock, her cheeks stained with tears, her body and mind numb.

After arriving at the emergency department, Brooke had been quickly wheeled into one of the trauma rooms, a number of scrub-clad doctors following hurriedly after her.

As Brooke was rushed into the room, Peyton had lost her grip on her friends' hand, watching as it dropped lifelessly over the side of the gurney. Peyton's own hand now rested numbly at her side as she stood outside the trauma room. She watched as the doctors struggled to revive Brooke. As a nurse rhythmically squeezed the Ambubag to provide Brooke with the vital oxygen that she needed.

Suddenly a doctor noticed Peyton watching through the door window and spoke briefly to one of the nurses standing nearby.

The nurse approached the door, pulling the blinds closed so that Peyton could no longer watch. For a moment, Peyton continued to stare at the door, tears streaming down her cheeks as though any minute now, the blinds would re-open.

Just then, the door opened and a nurse stepped outside, providing Peyton with a quick glance at Brooke lying on the gurney.

The nurse closed the door after her, once again obstructing Peyton's view of her friend. Peyton followed the movement of the door as it closed, trying to keep an eye on Brooke for as long as possible and capture a mental image of her. Peyton didn't want to lose sight of Brooke, worrying that it could be the last time she ever sees her.

The nurse gently touched Peyton's arm, bringing her back from her thoughts and causing Peyton to look at her.

As though finally comprehending what was happening Peyton spoke.

"What's going on?" she asked hurriedly as she sobbed. "Is Brooke going to be ok? I mean, she'll be ok won't she? She's not going to die? She can't…. "

Peyton paused for a second to choke back more tears, which were threatening to fall, before continuing.

"She can't die…. I mean it's Brooke" Peyton cried. "Brooke can't die."

The nurse sighed as she took Peyton's hand in hers and slowly led her towards the waiting area in the emergency room. The nurse sat down in one of the empty chairs, beckoning for Peyton to take the seat beside her.

Peyton looked at the nurse pleadingly, desperate for any news of Brooke's condition.

The nurse avoided Peyton's gaze, instead glancing down at the beige tiles beneath her feet.

_**How much time is enough to fulfil your purpose in life? A day? A week? A month? What about a year?**_

After Peyton had left with Brooke in the ambulance, the rest of the group had stood silently in their motel room, no one knowing what to say or do.

Finally, Lucas had pulled himself together long enough to direct the others to his car, still parked in its position across the street from the motel.

The five of them were now on their way to meet Peyton at Honeygrove Memorial Hospital, a stony silence lingering between them all.

In the back seat, Haley was sobbing into Nathan's chest as he held her tightly in his arms and stroked her hair comfortingly.

As he drove through the night towards his destination, Lucas couldn't help but fear what he'd face when he arrived at the hospital. As much as he tried to shake the feeling, Lucas couldn't.

Lucas' gut was churning inside him and making him nauseous as he imagined a distraught Peyton waiting for them, of what Peyton's devastation would mean for Brooke.

Lucas swallowed hard as he continued to drive towards the unknown.

_**Some people are running out of time.**_

Brooke lay motionless in the trauma room, an ironic calm to the chaos, which was ensuing around her.

"Let's intubate her," the leading doctor called, shaking his head as he injected barbiturates into her arm.

At this command another doctor, ran to the head of the gurney, removing the oxygen mask covering Brooke's mouth and inserting a tube into her throat. Following insertion of the tube, a nurse quickly attached a portable ventilator, which took over Brooke's breathing.

The doctor pulled his stethoscope from where it was hanging around his neck and positioned it in his ears. He quickly placed the bell of the stethoscope over both Brooke's lungs.

"Bilateral breath sounds present, equal throughout both lungs." The doctor noted, placing the stethoscope back around his neck.

"Obs seem stable," the other doctor commented. "Let's get her up to radiology for an MRI stat. We need to see what we're dealing with here."

_**Whilst for others it appears to be never ending.**_

After a moment, the nurse glanced back up at Peyton sadly.

"You're friend is very sick," she said calmly. "At the moment, we're doing everything that we possibly can for her, but I need you to wait here for me, ok?"

The nurse paused momentarily, watching Peyton closely before continuing.

"Do you think that you can do that?" The nurse said squeezing Peyton's hand comfortingly. "As soon as they know anything, someone will come and find you."

The nurse looked at Peyton for a moment longer, as the girl continued to stare at her. Finally she released Peyton's hand and stood up from her seat. She threw Peyton a sympathetic glance and placed her hand reassuringly on her shoulder before turning and making her way back to the trauma room.

After she'd gone Peyton continued to stare at where the nurse had moments ago been sitting.

_**Your time is one of the most precious things that you can give to someone. It's something, which costs you nothing yet for the person you share it with it can seem invaluable.**_

Peyton couldn't tell you how long she'd been sitting in silence, staring absent-mindedly at the clock on the wall as the seconds slowly ticked by.

Peyton hadn't noticed Lucas and the others enter the emergency room. She hadn't noticed him approach her, worry etched on his face. Peyton didn't noticed Lucas as he stood before her or Haley as she took the seat beside her.

All she noticed was the hands on the clock as they slowly moved.

"Peyton…" Lucas said hesitantly as he reached out to touch her shoulder.

Peyton jumped at his touch, finally noticing him standing before her, Mouth and Skills looking at her worriedly from behind him.

Peyton threw herself into Lucas' arms, crying over his shoulder.

"Peyton?" Lucas questioned as he stroked the back of her head, fear evident in his voice. "What's happening? Is Brooke ok?"

Peyton pulled back from Lucas and looked into his eyes sadly.

"I don't know," she sobbed hugging him tightly again.

Lucas squeezed Peyton tightly, closing his eyes and sighing heavily as he did.

"Shh," he said trying to calm Peyton down. "She'll be ok."

"What if she isn't?" Peyton asked crying. "Lucas, what if she isn't ok?"

Peyton paused for a moment, looking at him again.

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost her." Peyton added quietly.

Lucas glanced between Mouth and Skills before kissing Peyton lightly on the forehead and wiping a tear from her cheek.

"I know." He said taking her hand in his before adding quietly. "I know."

Just then, Peyton noticed a doctor she'd seen treating Brooke approach the front desk and talk with a nurse behind it.

The nurse pointed towards Peyton and the others, causing the doctor to look their way. The doctor nodded to the nurse before making his way over to the six of them, a sombre expression on his face.

He stopped just before the group and looked at Peyton.

"Did you come in with Brooke Davis?" He asked her.

Peyton nodded.

"Yeah," she said quietly running a hand through her hair, as the other remained tightly in Lucas' grasp. "Is she ok?"

The doctor looked around the group for a moment before placing one hand on his side and rubbing the temple of his head soothingly with the other.

"Why don't you follow me?" the doctor said as he turned around and made his way up the corridor.

The group exchanged quick glances before following in his path.


	2. Chapter 2

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

The doctor who had approached the group moments ago now led the group along a busy corridor and into a quiet side room.

Once the entire group had entered, the doctor beckoned for them to take a seat in the available chairs around the room. As the rest of her friends did as the doctor instructed, Peyton continued to stand, watching him closely as he met her gaze. The room they were in was small and dimly lit, the walls a dingy beige. The room felt ominous, the atmosphere tense and the air musty.

The doctor looked at Peyton for a moment before glancing quickly at the floor. When he next looked up, he indicated for Peyton to take one of the remaining seats.

"Why don't you take a seat?" the doctor asked kindly.

Peyton just continued to stand in place, refusing to do as he asked because of what the gesture implied. Peyton had watched enough TV to know that doctors only asked you to take a seat when they had something bad to tell you.

Peyton shook her head sadly from side to side as the doctor watched her empathetically.

Seeing Peyton's response, Lucas stood from his chair and approached her. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Peyton…" he said slipping his other hand around hers.

"No," Peyton said, her voice cracking as she turned to face him.

Lucas saw the tears in her eyes and struggled to hold back his own. Lucas reached up and brushed a tear from Peyton's cheek, before pulling her into a comforting embrace. He rested his head over her shoulder, his eyes closed as he stroked the back of her hair with his fingers.

After a moment Lucas squeezed her tightly in his arms and pulled back from her to look into her eyes.

"Come on," he said taking her hand in his again and leading her towards an empty chair.

Peyton followed Lucas, taking the seat beside him, her hand still in his. Lucas looked at Peyton once they were sitting, shaking her hand reassuringly as he smiled warmly at her.

Once everyone was sitting, the doctor looked between the enquiring faces watching him and quickly glanced at the floor before clearing his throat to speak.

"Before I start," the doctor began. "I need to ask if anyone here is a family member or other relative of Miss Davis?"

The doctor glanced around the room noting the youngsters shaking their heads in response to his question.

"We're just friends," Lucas finally voiced looking at Peyton who was staring at a spot on the floor.

"Do any of you know how we can get in contact with her parent's?" the doctor asked following Lucas' admission. Legally he was not allowed to divulge patient information to anyone other than family members or a legal guardian. "We've attempted phoning the number in her records, but so far we've been unable to reach them."

Lucas looked around at the faces of his friends, waiting for someone to answer. When nobody did, Lucas finally spoke.

"Uh, they live in California." Lucas said swallowing hard at his words. "Brooke lives on her own…"

"Does she have a legal guardian?" the doctor asked looking at the group of friends. "An adult who's responsible for her?"

Lucas shook his head sadly in response.

"No," he answered quietly. "It's just her."

The doctor sighed heavily.

"Listen," he said looking between them regretfully. "I know that you're worried about your friend, but unfortunately I can't share patient information with you without the consent of a parent or other family member. Legally I'm not allowed to. I'm sorry."

Suddenly Peyton was pulled from her thoughts and looked up to meet the apologetic gaze from the doctor.

"What?" she said sadly.

"I'm sorry," he said again, noticing the pain in her expression. "I really am, but legally I can't. I could lose my job…"

Peyton stood up from where she was standing removing her hand from Lucas' grasp.

"Please," she begged him through tears. "We just want to know that she's ok. Can't you at least tell us that?"

The doctor closed his eyes for a moment, struggling with his decision. If there was any possible way that he could tell them, he'd do it gladly, but unfortunately the law was working against them.

Peyton stepped closer to the doctor so that she was only inches away from him. She wiped at her eyes quickly before speaking.

"Ok…I know that legally… or genetically…I'm not related to Brooke." Peyton began sadly her voice breaking with emotion. "That technically we're not family…but we've been friends for ten years."

Peyton paused a moment to get control of her emotions as she started to cry again.

"We've been through everything together…. She means so much to me…I know that you might not understand this…. but she _is _my family… she's the only person that's always been there for me…she's not just my best friend ok? She's my sister…. not on paper…but in here."

As Peyton said this she placed her hand over her heart.

"Surely that has to count for something…" Peyton added quietly pleading with him.

On hearing Peyton's words, Lucas felt tears forming in his eyes. As he stood up to walk over towards her, he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Lucas placed his hand on Peyton's back and began rubbing it comfortingly as she continued.

"She's like my dad's surrogate daughter…. when she lived with us…"

"Wait a minute?" the doctor interrupted her. "She lived with you?"

"Yeah," Peyton said, a confused expression on her face. "Earlier this year, she lived with me and my dad. Why?"

The doctor smiled slightly at this.

"During that time, was your dad her legal guardian?" the doctor asked Peyton.

"I guess so," Peyton answered, wiping at her eyes again.

"And now she lives on her own?" the doctor questioned. "Your dad was her last guardian?"

Peyton nodded finally understanding what the doctor meant by his questioning.

"She was his responsibility." Peyton said.

"Ok," the doctor said smiling and pointing towards the recently vacated chairs. "That's enough for me."

Peyton and Lucas walked back to take their seats. Once they'd settled into position the doctor began to inform them of Brooke's condition.

"Now, from what I understand," he started. "Brooke suffered a head injury yesterday. Is that right?"

Peyton nodded.

"The paramedic said she had concussion." Peyton informed him.

The doctor nodded.

"Then today she'd been drinking?" he asked.

Again Peyton nodded.

"She was upset…"

On hearing this, Haley glanced at Peyton, catching her eye. Peyton looked sadly at Haley before turning back to face the doctor.

"We often tell patients' not to drink following a concussion because the affects of it can lead to poor co-ordination which increases the risk of falling over and hitting your head again." The doctor explained. "From what the paramedics told me, they believe that she fell over tonight and somehow hit her head again, is that true?"

"Yes," Mouth spoke up looking at the doctor. "She fell onto her back in a bar. She could have hit her head then."

The doctor glanced between everyone watching him before continuing.

"Unfortunately, when Brooke arrived here earlier, she wasn't breathing properly and we had to intubate her in the ER. Luckily, we managed to stabilise her. At the moment she's on a ventilator up in the intensive care unit."

"Will she be alright?" Haley asked tearfully.

The doctor looked at Haley for a moment before glancing at his shoes.

"Uh, we don't know yet." He answered looking back up to meet her gaze. "The next 24 hours are crucial."

"I don't understand." Peyton said puzzled as another tear fell down her cheek. "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor turned to Peyton to answer her question.

"We believe that she suffered what is known as 'second impact syndrome.' Following a head injury, such as Brooke had yesterday; your brain becomes more susceptible to injury. Therefore, another minor blow to the head during the recovery period can lead to devastating consequences for the patient." The doctor explained.

For a moment he paused allowing this to sink in.

"When Brooke hit her head again today, her body was still recovery from the injury she sustained yesterday. The knock to her head caused the blood supply to her brain to be restricted and as a result caused her brain to swell, which led to her seizing. When the brain swells it causes the pressure within your skull to increase, and if this is left untreated it can lead to long-term neurological problems such as paralysis. "

"But people do recover from this don't they?" Lucas asked the doctor.

"Actually, the majority of patients' who suffer from 'second impact syndrome' are normally dead before the paramedics even arrive. Brooke was extremely lucky. Technically she should be dead right now."

At these words an uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

"At the moment we're keeping Brooke sedated. We're giving her steroids and other drugs to try and help decrease the swelling of her brain, but if that doesn't work we may have to operate." the doctor continued breaking the eerie quiet. "Does she have any other medical conditions that you know of which may affect her treatment? We're still waiting for her notes to be faxed over from Tree Hill."

Peyton glanced between Mouth and Lucas a moment before finally answering.

"Yeah…" Peyton began hesitantly looking at Nathan and Skills before turning back to the doctor. "Uh, she has ovarian cancer."

The doctor looked at Peyton for a moment, swallowing hard as he did.

After a moment he nodded.

"How long has she had it?" he asked her.

"A few months," Peyton said avoiding Nathan and Skills shocked expressions.

"Is she having any treatment at the moment?" the doctor asked. "Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy?"

"No," Peyton answered him. "She's supposed to have surgery next week."

The doctor looked up at Peyton from noting this all down on a small note pad he'd removed from his scrub pocket.

"Ok," he said. "Is that all? There's nothing else?"

"No that's it," Peyton answered him.

The doctor placed the note pad back into his pocket.

"Perhaps you guys should go home and get some rest. I'm afraid that at the moment all we can really do is wait. If you leave me a contact number at reception, I can contact you if her condition changes..." the doctor began.

"Can we see her?" Peyton interrupted the doctor as she quickly stood up.

The doctor looked between the group and nodded.

"Ok," he said. "However, because she's in the ICU, I'm afraid that only one of you can go in at a time."

Peyton looked around the group and saw them nod their agreement to her unasked question.

The doctor watched, understanding that Peyton would be coming up first.

"Follow me," the doctor said turning and opening the door to the room.

Lucas stood up and walked over to Peyton taking her hands in his.

"We'll wait here for you," he said kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Peyton nodded before releasing herself from Lucas' grasp and stepping out into the corridor, the doctor following after her.

Lucas and the others watched in silence as the door closed behind them.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

The doctor kindly led Peyton towards the intensive care unit. When they entered he took her to where Brooke lay unconscious, her body covered in a multitude of wires and tubes. The doctor beckoned for Peyton to take a seat next to Brooke's bed.

Peyton sat down slowly and momentarily took her eyes off Brooke to look at the doctor.

"Just talk to her," the doctor said reading Peyton's enquiring expression. "I'll leave you to alone."

With that the doctor disappeared, leaving Peyton and Brooke alone.

Peyton turned her attention back to Brooke, taking in the scene before her. From where she was sitting she could see the steady rise and fall of Brooke's chest as the ventilator rhythmically filled her body with air, a gentle hiss coming from the machine as it worked. A steady beep could be heard from the monitor above Brooke's bed as it tracked her heart rate.

Peyton lowered her eyes to Brooke. An IV line to give her fluids could be seen coming from her arm and a pulse oximeter attached to her finger to monitor her pulse. Taped in place in the back of her hand was a cannula for the doctors to administer medication. As she lay there Peyton thought that Brooke looked peaceful, oblivious to the world as it carried on around her.

Peyton reached out slowly and took Brooke's hand up in hers; jumping slightly in surprise at how cold she felt to touch. Peyton looked at Brooke's hand for a moment as she stroked the back of it gently with her own, careful not to knock the cannula.

After a moment, Peyton leant forward in her chair so that she her elbows were resting on the edge of the bed, Brooke's hand still in her own. Peyton continued to stroke Brooke's hand gently as she reached forward with her free hand and began to brush the side of Brooke's face tenderly.

For a moment Peyton just sat like this, looking at her friend as she continued to stroke her face affectionately. As she sat there Peyton felt tears sting her eyes and finally broke down crying.

She leant forward and kissed Brooke's forehead gently before beginning to stroke it again.

"Hey," she said through tears after a minute or so. "It's me."

Peyton paused for a moment, half expecting Brooke to answer her before finally continuing.

"Listen Brooke," Peyton said emotionally as a tear ran down her cheek and fell onto Brooke's hand. "You're going to be alright aren't you?" Peyton asked sadly.

Peyton squeezed Brooke's hand in her own before continuing.

"I mean when I came to your house yesterday morning, you told me you weren't going anywhere without a fight... Do you remember that?"

Peyton looked at Brooke through tears and continued.

"Well, I'm going to have to hold you to that now, ok?" Peyton sobbed. "We can't have gone through everything we have the last two years just for it to end like this. I mean... you're my rock…. what am I supposed to do without you?"

Peyton rubbed at her eyes roughly for a minute.

"I love you," Peyton said sadly shaking Brooke's hand in her grasp. "You know that right?"

Peyton nodded her head sadly.

"I just…. I want you to wake up and for everything to be ok…. to see you smile again…and make fun of my outfit."

At this Peyton laughed for a moment before once again turning serious.

"I keep…I keep thinking about what it would be like if you were no longer here…" Peyton sighed.

"About what my life would be like if you weren't in it…. and how lost I'd feel without you. Let me tell you about that life B. Davis…. about how everything would be just that little bit darker…how it would all be a little bit duller without you to brighten things up…"

Peyton swallowed hard before finishing.

"Remember you promised...you promised that I'd have you no matter what... that you'd never leave me." Peyton said sadly. "Please…." Peyton pleaded. "Please don't leave me Brooke…. I'm not ready to experience that life yet, the one without you…I'm not ready to lose you yet, just…just stay with me a little bit longer ok? Just a little longer…."

With this Peyton kissed Brooke gently on the forehead again and leant her head down to rest on Brooke's chest. Peyton stroked Brooke's hand in her own as she said quietly through tears, "Just a little longer Brooke…that's all I want…just some more time."


	3. Chapter 3

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Lounge)**

After Peyton had left the lounge with the doctor, the others had remained sitting silently together, each one deep in their own thoughts.

Nathan sat beside Haley, his arm wrapped lovingly around her shoulders as she rested her head against his chest.

Tears were running down her cheeks as she thought back to her earlier conversation with Brooke.

"_**I mean it Brooke," she said coldly. "I don't want you to come anywhere near me. I can't believe I ever trusted you. You're never going to change Brooke, you're still the same manipulative bitch that you were when we first met and I was the fool that fell for your act, time and time again."**_

Not long after Haley had said those things to Brooke, Peyton had found her sitting outside in the gazebo and told her about Brooke's cancer.

"_**Haley, that's not all." Peyton continued sadly. "Brooke's sick, she's got cancer. She doesn't want anyone to know but I thought maybe that's some information you could use."**_

_**Haley's face betrayed the shock that she was feeling.**_

"_**What?" she managed to get out after a while.**_

**_"She was diagnosed not long after your wedding," Peyton continued. "She's been dealing with it alone since. I guess she didn't want to burden you with it on top of your pregnancy but I don't know. All I know is that she's having surgery next week and I'm scared to death for her."_**

Following this revelation, Haley had struggled with her feelings towards Brooke. When Peyton had divulged Brooke's secret to Haley, she'd felt as though she'd been backed into a corner. As though if she forgave Brooke now, it would only be because she was ill. Not because she truly felt that Brooke deserved it.

It had been Nathan who'd helped Haley to see that deep down she'd already forgiven Brooke. He knew as well as Haley, that Brooke would never do anything to purposefully hurt her. That their friendship was strong. That they were strong enough to survive something so trivial as a stolen test.

Haley felt fresh tears run down her cheeks as she thought about Peyton's earlier question to her.

_**"I guess my question to you is this," Peyton said looking at Haley. "If Brooke died next week and you hadn't forgiven her. Could you live with yourself Haley? Or would it be something that you'd live to regret? Once you know the answer to that, you'll be able to decide what to do."**_

At this moment, the answer to that question was screaming at Haley. Right now, Haley was beside herself. All she wanted was for Brooke to wake up so that she could tell her that she hadn't meant what she'd said to her earlier this evening. That she'd been angry and upset. Haley wanted to tell Brooke that she forgave her, that she understood why she'd stolen the test.

Most of all, Haley wanted to tell Brooke that she was sorry. She wanted to apologise for not being there for Brooke when she needed someone to help her. That she'd not realised that Brooke had been struggling alone for so long.

At that moment, Nathan glanced down at Haley in his arms and squeezed her comfortingly.

"Hey," he asked her, causing her to be pulled from her thoughts. "Are you ok?"

Haley looked up at Nathan and shook her head sadly as she struggled to fight back a nauseating wave of emotion.

"No," she said in a barely audible voice, hoarse from crying. "This is all my fault…"

"Haley…" Nathan said turning to face her, and causing Haley to remove her head from its position on his chest. "Your not to blame for this. No one is."

Haley noticed Lucas, Skills and Mouth now watching her closely from their seats across the room.

"You're wrong," Haley answered him, as she met his gaze once again. "I did this."

"Haley it was an accident…" Nathan said removing his arm from around her shoulder and attempting to take her hands in his.

Haley moved them out of his reach and stood up from where she was sitting.

"No," she said looking at him from where she was standing. "If we hadn't fought at prom, Brooke would never have gotten drunk. This all happened because I was angry with her, because I couldn't forgive her for what she'd done. I'm the reason she was drinking when she shouldn't have been. I'm the reason that she fell over…."

Haley paused for a moment to rub at her eyes before continuing.

"Brooke could die… all because of me…." She continued sadly, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke.

"Hales," Lucas said standing up from his seat and walking over towards her. "She'll be alright, you'll see."

Lucas placed his hand on Haley's shoulder, but Haley pulled away from him.

"You don't know that!" she shouted at him. "You heard what the doctor said, she's lucky to even be alive right now…"

"But she is alive Hales," Lucas interrupted her.

"Yeah, for now," Haley agreed sadly, as she looked at one of her closest friends. "Lucas, she's not even breathing on her own right now…"

"Hales, don't do this to yourself." Nathan said standing up and interrupting her. "Do you really think that Brooke would want to see you like this right now?"

"Nathan's right," Lucas agreed. "Brooke wouldn't blame you for this Haley…"

"Yeah," Haley said coldly, cutting Lucas off, tears in her eyes. "Well, Brooke's not here to tell me that is she?"

"Haley…" Nathan began reaching out his hand to touch Haley's arm supportively.

Haley stepped back away from Nathan, placing her hands up in front of her.

Nathan watched her sadly as she turned around and walked hurriedly towards the door. When she reached it, Haley flung the door wide open and disappeared into the corridor outside.

The rest of the group watched her leave before Nathan turned to share a concerned look with Lucas.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

Peyton was still sitting beside Brooke's bed, her head resting gently on her chest as it moved mechanically with the ventilator. Peyton had not spoken since her last attempt to talk to Brooke, instead listening silently to the steady beat of Brooke's heart on the monitor above her bed.

Peyton had found the beat comforting as she sat stroking Brooke's hand tenderly with her own. Peyton's eyes were closed as she sat there and her face felt tight as the tears slowly dried.

After a moment, Peyton opened her eyes and saw a distraught Haley through the door window, talking to Brooke's doctor outside.

Peyton watched her for a moment through the glass before glancing back towards Brooke.

As she watched her friend, Peyton heard the door open and footsteps approach behind her.

"Hey," Haley said sadly, as Peyton turned to face her. "The doctor said it was ok if I came in."

Peyton nodded wordlessly in response, watching as Haley looked towards Brooke lying unconscious before them.

Peyton stood up from where she was sitting and gently kissed Brooke's hand before placing it back beside her on the bed.

"Where are you going?" Haley asked quietly, a little surprised by Peyton's sudden movement.

Peyton turned to face Haley and placed her hand comfortingly on her friends shoulder.

"I'll just be outside." Peyton answered understandingly before continuing towards the door.

"Peyton…" Haley said quickly as she turned to face the direction Peyton was heading.

Peyton stopped a moment to face Haley and smiled sadly.

"What should I do?" Haley asked crying.

Peyton stepped towards Haley and pulled her into a warm embrace, squeezing her tightly in her arms. As they stood like this, Peyton felt tears forming once again in her eyes.

When she pulled away, Peyton looked Haley in the eye and wiped at her cheek with the pad of her thumb.

"Tell her how you feel." Peyton said knowingly as she glanced towards Brooke.

Haley followed Peyton's glance and fought to hold back more tears, which were threatening to fall.

"It's never too late Haley." Peyton said sadly as she rubbed Haley's arm.

Haley turned back to look at Peyton, who smiled sorrowfully before leaving the room.

Once, Peyton had disappeared outside and the door was closed behind her, Haley turned back to face Brooke.

For a moment she just stood looking at her, not moving or saying anything. Seeing Brooke this way broke Haley's heart. It was as though everything that defined who Brooke was as a person, all the life and energy had been taken from her, leaving in it's place an empty shell.

Haley approached Brooke hesitantly, edging her way nearer towards the bed. When she was standing beside her, Haley made a move to take Brooke's hand in her own. Just before she touched it, Haley paused, her hand hovering indecisively above Brooke's.

She stared at her hand for a moment before closing it into a ball and pulling it back from Brooke's.

Haley placed one hand over her mouth as the other rested gently on her hip. Haley felt the tears coming now, as she stood over Brooke, no longer able to hold back her emotions.

Where she was standing, Haley closed her eyes and shook her head sadly, as though this gesture could rewind time so that Haley could relive the last day and change what had happened.

After a minute, Haley opened her eyes again and hesitantly reached down once more to take Brooke's hand in hers.

This time, Haley grasped Brooke's hand, holding it firmly in her own.

The gesture reminded Haley of when she'd found out she was pregnant. Brooke had taken Haley's hand comfortingly in her own at the doctors' news, a silent sign that Haley wouldn't be alone through this. That she'd be there to support her.

With that one motion, Haley had known that everything would be all right and she wondered now whether Brooke knew what that had meant to her at the time.

Haley looked down once more at Brooke's face, before sitting down on the edge of the bed, her hand still tightly around Brooke's.

"Hey girlie," Haley began, pausing momentarily to swallow hard.

"I should have known not to get into an argument with you." Haley laughed slightly, trying to relieve the pain she was feeling. "You always win in the end…. you're too stubborn, you know that Brooke Davis?"

Haley squeezed Brooke's hand tightly in hers for a moment, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"You know you really didn't have to go to all this trouble to get me to talk to you again?" Haley continued sadly. "I didn't really mean what I said to you earlier…I was just… angry and upset about the test and…. and I lashed out at you."

Haley brushed a strand of Brooke's hair from her face lovingly as she continued.

"I'm so sorry Brooke," Haley said swallowing hard to choke back her tears. "I was angry that you lied to me…. I thought that you could come to me about anything…. that you'd let me help you with your problems…"

Haley felt a tear slide down her cheek and brushed it away hurriedly.

"The test…. it doesn't matter to me any more…not as much as our friendship does…not as much as you do…you made a mistake and… and I understand that." Haley sobbed. "But Brooke I made a mistake too…"

At this Haley shook her head, her eyes closed as she struggled to contain how she was feeling.

"I should have known about the cancer Brooke…I should have been there for you. I don't…" Haley paused for a moment to compose herself. "Brooke…" she continued crying. "I don't understand why you couldn't talk to me about what was happening with you. Why you felt like you had to protect me from this. What kind of friend must that make me? To not know something like that…"

Haley looked up at the monitor above Brooke's bed for a moment.

"I just…" Haley began again. "Brooke…." She pleaded. "Please don't leave things like this between us…there's so much I want to talk to you about…things that have been left unsaid."

Haley brushed the side of Brooke's face gently with her hand as she continued.

"I hate to think that I'll never get a chance to tell you…to tell you that I care about you so much…you know that? That our friendship is important to me…because you've been there through some of my most difficult times…and I want the chance to repay you for that. To be that person for you."

Haley wiped at her eyes again and squeezed Brooke's hand.

"Brooke…I don't care if you wake up and shout at me…. or if you tell me to stay away from you, ok… I just want you to make it through this…that's all I want."

Just then the monitor above the bed started beeping rapidly and Brooke's body started to convulse on the bed in front of Haley.

"Brooke…" Haley said, terror evident in her voice.

Haley watched in horror as Brooke's limbs thrashed about violently. Suddenly a multitude of doctors and nurses entered the room, moving Haley out of the way so that they could get to Brooke.

"Brooke," Haley repeated in shock as she continued to watch the doctors struggle to hold Brooke's arms and legs down on the bed.

"Can someone get her out of here." The doctor called nodding in Haley's direction.

Haley felt a nurse take her arm reassuringly, causing Haley to be bought back to reality.

"No wait," Haley said struggling in the nurses' grasp as she was led towards the door. "What's happening to her?"

The nurse led Haley out of the door to where Peyton was standing with a worried expression on her face.

"Brooke!" Haley called as the nurse re-entered the room, closing the door behind her. The nurse pulled the blind down to obstruct both Peyton and Haley's view of their friend as the pair of them stared helplessly at the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Lounge)**

Lucas watched as Nathan paced up and down in the middle of the room agitatedly.

"Nathan," Lucas said from where he was sitting, his head resting in both his hands. "Would you please sit down? You're driving me crazy."

Nathan glanced at Lucas as he continued pacing back and forth across the room. Lucas looked up to meet Nathan's gaze.

"I can't," Nathan, answered Lucas honestly. "I mean aren't you worried Luke? Brooke's upstairs fighting for her life, Peyton's a complete mess and Haley's blaming herself for what's happened."

Lucas watched Nathan closely as he stopped in front of him. Nathan placed one hand behind his head whilst throwing the other out in front of him and sighing heavily.

"Even if Brooke makes it through this," Nathan continued. "She could still die. I mean was it just me, or did Peyton tell the doctor that Brooke had cancer? You guys heard that right? Why would she say something like that if it weren't true?"

"Nathan…" Lucas said standing up before his brother. "It's true ok? Peyton wasn't lying about that."

"You knew?" Nathan asked surprised. "Was I the only person that didn't?"

"No dawg," Skills answered from his chair where he'd been watching the interaction between Lucas and Nathan. "I didn't know about it either. B. Davis managed to keep that one quiet."

Lucas sighed as Nathan turned back to him questioningly.

"Peyton told me that she only found out about it last night. I only know because I accidentally overheard Brooke talking about it with Rachel in her motel room earlier today." Lucas said.

"I was the only person that knew." Mouth added quietly standing up. "Brooke wanted to keep it a secret… and I helped her."

"Did Haley know about the cancer before now?" Nathan asked worriedly. "I mean she already feels guilty enough about what's happened to Brooke…"

Lucas looked at Mouth who shrugged.

"I should go after her," Nathan said heading towards the door.

"Nathan," Lucas said as he lunged forward to grab Nathan's arm and stop him from leaving.

"Let go of me man," Nathan said trying to free himself from Lucas' grasp.

"You heard Haley before Nathan," Lucas said. "Nothing you say is going to make her feel any better about this. The only person that she'd listen to right now is Brooke…"

Lucas released Nathan's arm and looked at him understandingly before continuing.

"Just give her some space," Lucas said. "When she wants to talk about this, she'll find you. Until then I think it's best that we let her deal with this in her own way."

Nathan looked at Lucas and started to nod sadly.

"I just… I feel so useless," Nathan said sighing.

"I think we all do," Mouth agreed moving closer to Nathan and Lucas.

"Yeah dawg," Skills said standing up from his chair. "But Haley knows where we are. The least we can do is make sure we're here for her when she decides to come back."

Lucas and Mouth nodded in agreement.

"We need to be here for all of them now." Mouth said looking between his friends. "Brooke, Peyton and Haley. They're all going to need our support through this."

Lucas put his hand on Mouth's shoulder comfortingly.

"So we'll be there." He said watching Mouth closely and smiling.

Lucas turned towards Nathan.

"What do you say?" Lucas asked him, placing a hand on his arm momentarily.

"Ok," Nathan said putting his hand on top of Lucas' and nodding. "I can do that."

Lucas patted Nathan on the arm and smiled before the four of them took their seats once again and waited for Peyton and Haley to return.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

It had been ten minutes since Haley had been led away from Brooke and into the corridor outside, where Peyton had been waiting.

Peyton was pacing furiously back and forth in front of the door to Brooke's room, biting the nails of her right hand anxiously as she did.

Haley was sitting on an empty chair in the corridor outside the room, watching Peyton as she walked.

After another minute, Peyton threw her hands up in front of her in frustration.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked before pressing herself up close to the door in an attempt to hear some news of Brooke's condition.

A moment later, Peyton gave up and turned to face Haley, who was staring at her blankly.

Peyton walked over and took a seat in the empty chair next to Haley's pulling her friends hand into her own.

Haley looked at Peyton when she felt her touch and felt tears come to her eyes once more.

"Peyton…" Haley began looking sadly at the blonde beside her.

Before Haley could continue, the doctor that had spoken to them downstairs appeared from Brooke's room and walked towards them.

Both Peyton and Haley stood up from their seats, each one gripping the others hand tightly in their own.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked running her free hand through her hair quickly. "Is Brooke ok?"

As she asked this Peyton noticed a number of medical personnel exit Brooke's room behind the doctor causing her to fear the worst.

"She's not…" Haley began hesitantly.

"No," the doctor cut her off. "We managed to stabilise her again."

"What happened?" Haley asked worriedly. "I mean one minute I was talking to her and the next…"

"Why don't you two come inside?" the doctor said, leading them back into the room.

As they entered, Peyton and Haley saw a nurse hovering by the bed, a clipboard in her hands as she noted down Brooke's obs. On the other side of the bed another doctor was giving Brooke something via the cannula in the back of her hand. The head of the bed was now slightly elevated so that Brooke was no longer lying flat.

The doctor led them nearer to the bed. He waited for a moment whilst the other doctor and nurse finished their tasks. The nurse placed the clipboard on the end of Brooke's bed before following the other doctor out of the room and closing the door behind them.

After they'd both left, the doctor turned back around to face Peyton and Haley.

From where she was standing, Peyton noticed that Brooke was no longer intubated, an oxygen mask placed over her face instead.

The doctor followed Peyton's gaze before turning back to her and speaking.

"After a head injury, such as Brooke's, it's not uncommon for patients to suffer from seizures. This could be due to a number of factors, including high blood pressure, bleeding within the skull or swelling of the brain."

The doctor looked between Haley and Peyton before continuing.

"In Brooke's case, the medication we'd been giving her to help reduce the swelling of her brain caused her blood pressure to rise and result in the seizure. Once we'd given her some anti-hypertensive drugs to counteract that the convulsions stopped."

Peyton glanced between Brooke and the doctor for a moment her arms wrapped around her body.

"So she'll be ok?" Peyton asked meeting the doctor's gaze.

"That still remains to be seen," the doctor answered Peyton, not wanting to give either of the girls false hope. "The good news is that we've managed to stabilise her blood pressure now and that combined with a slight decrease in the inter-cranial pressure within her skull means that we could extubate her."

Haley finally tore her eyes off Brooke to look at the doctor before her.

The doctor noticed her enquiring expression and explained.

"Her respiratory pattern is a lot more normal now, which means that she no longer needs mechanical assistance. As she's no longer ventilated we've reduced the amount of sedation we're giving her so hopefully she'll begin to wake up soon."

Peyton felt a wave of relief wash over her at this news and almost broke down into tears of joy. She glanced at Haley, unable to contain the smile that had spread across her face.

Haley however, wasn't as optimistic at the news, still fearing that Brooke would not come out of this the same person that she'd once been.

"Will there be any long-term damaged?" Haley asked hesitantly.

On hearing Haley's question, Peyton turned back to the doctor expectantly awaiting his answer.

"Unfortunately, we won't know until she wakes up. Sometimes following head injuries patients can develop a number of problems, including memory loss, paralysis and epilepsy. It's likely that she'll be extremely drowsy when she wakes up, partly due to the medication she's on but also as a direct result of her injuries."

The doctor paused for a moment before continuing.

"We just have to wait and see now," he carried on, "but her prognosis is looking a lot better. She's extremely lucky."

Peyton and Haley looked at each other, Peyton still smiling broadly. Haley returned her smile half-heartedly, not wanting to get her hopes up just yet.

Peyton turned back to the doctor and asked, "Is it ok if we stay here with her?"

The doctor smiled at Peyton and nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "I'll leave you alone with her."

With that the doctor, headed towards the door and left Haley and Peyton in the room alone with Brooke.

Once he'd left, Peyton approached the bed and took Brooke's hand in hers once again. Peyton turned around to look at Haley and noticed the grim expression on her face.

"Haley," Peyton asked concerned. "What's wrong?"

Haley glanced from Brooke to Peyton before answering.

"I think I'm going to go," Haley said sadly. "Brooke doesn't need me here…"

"What?" Peyton said puzzled as Haley turned towards the door. "Wait…Haley…"

Peyton released Brooke's hand for a moment as she chased after Haley, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Haley turned back around to look at Peyton for a moment, visibly upset.

Peyton looked at Haley sadly as the two of them stood in silence.

When Haley refused to say anything, Peyton spoke up.

"Haley you can't leave," Peyton began. "Brooke will want to see you when she wakes up."

"I don't think so," Haley said regretfully.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked. "Of course she will…"

Haley shook her head slowly in disagreement.

"Tell her I'm sorry," Haley said avoiding Peyton's gaze as she turned and headed towards the door.

"Haley!" Peyton called after her friend as she disappeared out of view.

For a moment Peyton stood in disbelief in the middle of the room, running her hand through her hair as she looked between the door and Brooke.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

Since leaving Brooke's room forty-five minutes earlier, Haley had wandered aimlessly around the Honeygrove hospital. Eventually she'd taken a seat in one of the many hospital corridors and lost herself deep in thought.

Her mind was a complete mess at the moment. Deep down she really wanted to believe that Brooke would be ok, but every time she tried to convince herself of that, she couldn't see herself being that lucky again.

After all, Haley had watched a number of the people that she cared about in hospital over the last two years. Lucas, Nathan and Peyton. Each time she'd been worried that the worst had happened and so far she'd been lucky, each one of them making a full recovery and moving on with their lives.

Haley felt that this time she would be different, that this time she wouldn't be so lucky, that her luck had finally run out. Haley couldn't explain why she felt that way, but she did. Deep down she was consumed by an awful dread and right now she was struggling to shake that feeling off.

Haley had been so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice a tall figure standing before her until he spoke.

"I've been worried about you," Lucas said taking a vacant seat beside Haley as she slowly looked towards him.

Haley gently rested her head onto Lucas' shoulder and he reached across and took her hand in his own, squeezing it affectionately.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked Lucas quietly.

Lucas watched Haley closely.

"I got lost looking for the canteen," Lucas answered honestly.

Haley laughed despite how she was feeling and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"Where have you been?" Lucas asked her after a moment. "Nathan's been worried…"

"I went to see Brooke," Haley answered him, finally meeting his gaze. "She had another seizure."

"Is she ok?" Lucas asked worriedly.

Haley nodded sadly.

"She's stable again now," Haley explained. "The doctor said that hopefully she'll wake up soon."

Lucas sighed heavily in relief but paused when he noticed Haley's sad expression.

"Hey," he said nudging her gently with his shoulder and smiling. "That's good news Hales… aren't you happy?"

"I guess," Haley said uncertainly before continuing. "I just don't know what's wrong with me…"

Lucas looked confused and interrupted her.

"What do you mean?" he asked her puzzled.

"It's great that Brooke might wake up, I mean before that's the only thing that I wanted to happen." She said pausing for a moment before asking. "But what if when she wakes up she doesn't want to see me? What if she blames me for this? I think that would be even worse than not knowing…"

"Haley," Lucas said wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "I know you don't believe me, but Brooke would never blame you for this. Trust me. She loves you, of course she'd want to see you."

"Do you really think that?" Haley asked him unconvinced.

"No I don't think that," Lucas said smiling at her. "I know that."

Haley smiled at him, feeling a little better. Lucas pulled her closer once more and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"So what do you say we go and let the others know what's going on?" Lucas asked her. "Then I'll take you upstairs to see Brooke."

Haley nodded and smiled at Lucas.

"Ok," she said as the pair of them stood up from their seats and began to make their way down the corridor, Lucas' arm still around Haley's shoulders. "Thank you Lucas." She added as they continued to walk towards the lounge where Nathan, Skills and Mouth were waiting.

"Your welcome," Lucas said kissing her lightly on the forehead again.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

After Haley had disappeared from the room, Peyton had been torn whether or not to follow her friend.

Peyton knew that Haley felt guilty about what she'd said to Brooke during their fight at the prom, and she wanted to make sure that she was all right. However, earlier Peyton had chosen to chase after Haley instead of Brooke and she wondered now what would have happened if she'd done the opposite.

Peyton shook the feeling out of her mind, not wanting to play a game of "what if?" at the moment. She'd vowed yesterday not to spend so much time going over the choices she'd made, instead deciding to focus on the here and now.

At this moment, her main focus was on Brooke.

After making the decision to stay with Brooke, Peyton had taken the chair beside her bed once more. She reached again for Brooke's hand and held it in her own firmly, needing the contact with her best friend, her rock to comfort her as she sat waiting.

As she sat beside Brooke's bed, Peyton began to grow tired. It'd been around ten minutes since she'd settled herself in the chair after Haley's departure that her eyes slowly started to close. Peyton had fought against sleep to begin with, but finally it had won her over and she'd fallen into a light slumber.

Peyton was awoken by the sound of someone speaking nearby. She slowly opened her eyes, noticing the clock on the wall registering that she'd been asleep for thirty-five minutes. Peyton's mind felt groggy as she heard the voice speak again.

"You know if you're going to sleep, I'd recommend using one of the comfortable beds instead of the hard chair that you're in.," the voice said hoarsely.

Peyton looked towards the door, half expecting to find that Haley had returned to find her sleeping. When she saw that no one was there and she was in fact alone in the room, Peyton turned back to look at Brooke.

"Brooke?" she said as she noticed a pair of eyes watching her closely.

Brooke smiled a little before speaking again.

"You look like ass." Brooke said, her voice hoarse and quiet from where she'd been intubated previously.

Peyton laughed a little as she noticed Brooke's hand still in hers. For a moment, Peyton wasn't sure whether she was dreaming or not and didn't say anything, instead watching Brooke as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Finally Peyton spoke.

"I look like ass?" she questioned laughing a little and smiling at Brooke as she squeezed her hand in hers.

"Yeah ass." Brooke said her voice muffled slightly by the oxygen mask covering her face.

Brooke opened her eyes a little to look at Peyton and continued.

"A.S.S." She clarified with a small smile. "Ass."

Peyton laughed, overwhelmed with relief that Brooke was finally awake.

"Gee thanks Brooke," Peyton said quietly smiling at her friend. "You know… you don't look so hot yourself."

Brooke's eyes were closed as she drowsily answered.

"What are you talking about Peyton?" Brooke said tiredly. "The whole hospital gown look is totally working for me."

Peyton leaned closer to Brooke and touched the side of her face gently with her other hand. Brooke opened her eyes again at the contact and looked at Peyton.

"You scared the crap out of me, you know that B. Davis?" Peyton said seriously, feeling tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Brooke, said struggling to keep her eyes open as she looked at Peyton.

Peyton smiled at Brooke as her eyes closed once again. For a moment, Peyton just sat watching Brooke, not wanting to wake her from the rest that she needed.

After about five minutes, Brooke opened her eyes again slowly to look at Peyton.

Peyton squeezed Brooke's hand and laughed, a tear rolling down her cheek as she cried with happiness.

"What?" Peyton began. "Did our last prom night not have enough drama for you, so you decided you'd try and out do it?"

Brooke smiled sleepily, her eyes closing for a moment.

"Yeah, well," Brooke, said hoarsely. "That's me…just you're regular teenage drama queen."

Peyton smiled and leant forward to kiss Brooke on the forehead gently.

"I wouldn't want you any other way." Peyton said as she brushed the side of Brooke's face comfortingly.

Peyton was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"How do you feel?" she asked interestedly.

Brooke groaned before answering sleepily.

"Like an idiot," Brooke responded looking at Peyton.

Brooke frowned suddenly and Peyton watched her concerned.

"Brooke?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

Brooke shook her head slowly from side to side.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Brooke answered, trying to lean forward slightly.

Peyton helped Brooke bring herself forward as she called out for a nurse.

One of the nurses at the desk outside appeared in the doorway and noticed Brooke was awake.

"She feels sick," Peyton said before the nurse could say anything.

The nurse smiled slightly and picked up an empty kidney dish from a nearby shelf before approaching the bed and handing it to Brooke.

"That's not uncommon with these types of injury." The nurse said reassuringly as she removed the oxygen mask from Brooke's face so that it was hanging around her neck.

The nurse rubbed Brooke's back comfortingly and turned to Peyton.

"Perhaps you should wait outside for a moment," the nurse said to her, thinking that Brooke might want some privacy.

Peyton nodded in response, smiling at Brooke as she turned to leave the room.

"No," Brooke said quietly stopping Peyton in her tracks. "Will you please stay with me?"

Peyton smiled and put her hand affectionately on Brooke's arm.

"Sure," she said, looking at the nurse who nodded that it was ok.

"Thanks," Brooke managed to get out before a sudden wave of nausea gripped her and caused her to vomit into the dish in her hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Lounge)**

After their talk Lucas and Haley had returned to the lounge where the rest of the group were still waiting anxiously.

On noticing the pair of them entering, Mouth, Skills and Nathan all stood up from their chairs, Nathan hurriedly walking over towards Haley and pulling her into a warm embrace.

Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan tightly in return, hugging him back. When Nathan finally released Haley slightly he placed both his hand on her shoulders and looked at her with concern.

"Where have you been?" Nathan asked her worriedly.

"I went to see Brooke," Haley answered him quietly whilst avoiding his gaze.

"Is she ok?" Nathan asked reading Haley's sorrowful expression.

"She is now…" Haley said in response, swallowing hard at his question. "But she had another seizure."

Nathan pulled Haley into another comforting embrace, sensing that she was upset.

Haley buried her head in his chest and started to sob quietly.

"It was so awful…" Haley sobbed. "I thought she was going to die…."

"Shh," Nathan soothed her. "It's ok…. Brooke's all right now. You said so yourself."

"I know…" Haley said sadly as she looked up to meet Nathan's gaze. "It's just… I really thought that I was going to lose her… and it scared me."

Nathan wiped at the tears on Haley's cheek with his thumb before pulling her head closer towards him and kissing her gently on the forehead.

Haley sighed slightly and rested her head on Nathan's shoulder as he spoke.

"Brooke won't leave you Haley." Nathan said reassuringly. "She's much too stubborn for that… you'll see."

Haley nodded her head slowly.

"I hope so…" Haley said quietly closing her eyes and sighing. "I really hope so…"

Just then, Lucas gently placed a hand on Haley's shoulder, causing her to turn around and face him.

"Why don't we go up and see her?" Lucas asked Haley before glancing around at the others in the room. "All of us."

Haley nodded sadly before reaching down in search of Nathan's hand with her own. Nathan took the hand, which was offered to him firmly in his grasp and squeezed it reassuringly as Haley led them out of the lounge.

Skills caught up with Lucas and Mouth as they turned to leave the room.

"So dawg?" Skills asked hesitantly. "Where's my drink?"

Lucas laughed and patted Skills on the shoulder.

"Sorry Skills," Lucas said smiling, "but I never actually made it to the canteen."

"Damn," Skills said jokingly as they followed Haley and Nathan up the corridor.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

After Brooke had finished being sick, the nurse had replaced the oxygen mask over her face, informing both Brooke and Peyton that it was important to keep it on at all times.

Brooke had rested back against the head of the bed, in an upright sitting position and closed her eyes as the nurse left the room to get the doctor.

Whilst they waited, Peyton had taken Brooke's hand up in her own once more and rubbed it gently with her own hand in an attempt to comfort Brooke. At this, Brooke had opened her eyes a little to look at Peyton and smiled slightly.

Peyton smiled back at Brooke as she began to close her eyes again. Neither of them spoke whilst they waited for the doctor to appear, instead Peyton watching as Brooke drifted in and out of consciousness.

After about five minutes, the doctor appeared in the doorway along with the nurse. He looked at Brooke closely before turning towards Peyton.

"Would you mind waiting outside for a moment?" the doctor asked her kindly. "I just need to check her over quickly. I'll come and get you when I'm finished."

Peyton nodded at the doctor, placing Brooke's hand gently back on the bed alongside her before standing up and walking towards the door. On the threshold Peyton paused briefly to take one last look at Brooke and smiled to herself before leaving the doctors alone with her.

Once outside, Peyton closed the door to Brooke's room behind her. She was just about to take a seat in one of the empty chairs in the corridor when she noticed Haley and Nathan approaching her, closely followed by Lucas, Skills and Mouth.

"Hey," Lucas said quietly pulling Peyton into an embrace as the group reached her.

Peyton hugged him back for a moment before they separated again. Lucas took Peyton's hand in his firmly before he next spoke.

"How's Brooke?" he said worriedly squeezing her hand in his. "Is she ok?"

Peyton smiled at his question and nodded.

"She's awake," Peyton answered looking at the relief that seemed to spread across her friends' faces.

"Thank god," Lucas said, glancing towards Haley and noticing her internal conflict registering on her face.

"How did she seem?" Haley asked hesitantly. "I mean…"

"She's fine," Peyton interrupted reassuringly, understanding Haley's question. "Just the same old Brooke that she's always been."

"What did she say to you?" Mouth asked, his relief evident in the huge smile planted across his face.

Peyton laughed a little before answering.

"She told me that I looked like ass." Peyton replied, looking at Mouth.

The rest of the group, excluding Haley laughed at Peyton's words.

"Well," Nathan said wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders and pulling her closer to him. "That definitely sounds like something Brooke would say."

"How's she feeling?" Lucas asked Peyton.

Peyton wrapped her arm around Lucas' waist.

"She was sick before," Peyton informed them. "However, the doctors said that's to be expected…"

Just then, the door to Brooke's room opened and the doctor and nurse stepped outside. The nurse returned to the desk whilst the doctor approached Peyton and the others.

Peyton turned to face them, a questioning look on her face.

"Ok, she's all yours." The doctor said looking at Peyton. "She's sleeping again at the moment, so try not to wake her if you can. It's important that she gets some rest."

"Was everything alright?" Peyton asked him.

The doctor smiled at her and looked around the rest of the enquiring faces before him.

"She's looking a lot better," he began smiling. "She's still extremely drowsy at the moment so it was difficult to assess her fully, but the nausea, headache and confusion she's displaying are all to be expected following a head injury such as hers. They should start to resolve as the swelling in her brain continues to reduce."

"When can she come home?" Lucas asked him curiously.

"Not yet I'm afraid." The doctor answered him. "We're going to have to keep her in for a couple of days to make sure that the swelling has decreased sufficiently and that there's no further complications."

Lucas glanced around at the others, reading their expressions.

Tomorrow was Monday, and the seven of them had to be back at school. Especially seeing as their finals were fast approaching and they couldn't afford to miss them.

The doctor read their expressions, knowing that they were not from around here from the address on Brooke's medical notes.

"Look, I know that you're probably eager to get Brooke home as soon as possible, but this really is the best place for her at the moment."

Lucas nodded in agreement and turned to face Haley as she spoke.

"Is it alright if we go in and see her?" she asked hesitantly.

The doctor smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "But only a couple of you at a time for now."

With that the doctor turned and headed over towards the desk where the nurse was standing and writing in someone's chart.

After he'd left, Peyton turned towards Haley and put her hand on her arm reassuringly.

"You should go in," Peyton said softly.

Haley wanted more than anything to go in and see Brooke, but now that she was finally up here again, she'd suddenly lost all her nerve. Standing here now, all the same doubts she'd been having before came flooding back.

"Uh…that's ok." Haley said quietly. "I've already seen her… someone else should go instead."

"Hales," Lucas begun. "Remember what I said to you earlier?"

Haley nodded that she did indeed remember their earlier conversation.

"Then what are you waiting for?" he asked her. "Would you please go in and see her already?"

Haley glanced quickly between the open door and Lucas before turning to face Nathan.

Nathan smiled before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"We'll wait here for you?" he said reassuringly.

Haley smiled half-heartedly before making her way into the room and closing the door behind her.

**(Brooke's Room)**

For a moment, Haley stood facing the door, her hands still on the handle as she fought the sudden feeling to re-open it and leave.

Haley shook the thought from her mind before slowly turning to face where Brooke was lying asleep in the bed.

Steadily, Haley made her way towards the bed, standing beside it for a moment before finally reaching out hesitantly and taking Brooke's hand in her own.

Once Brooke's hand was firmly in her own, Haley stood watching her friend, before eventually sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her.

Brooke stirred at the sudden movement of the mattress beneath her and struggled to open her eyes fully to look at what had caused it.

When she realised who was sitting beside her, Brooke spoke.

"Haley?" she said hoarsely, her throat dry. "What are you doing here?"

Haley glanced down at the floor for a moment a little upset by the question as she tried to find something to say, but coming up empty handed. Haley mistook Brooke's query as a sign that she didn't want her there, instead of as the confusion which it was.

When Haley looked up at Brooke again, she saw her friend struggling to keep her eyes open.

Haley cleared her throat before standing up from the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said placing Brooke's hand back beside her. "I should go…I…you…I mean… you need your rest…"

Brooke opened her eyes to see Haley standing beside the bed.

"Wait…. Haley…" Brooke said drowsily, her voice quiet.

Brooke swallowed hard, trying to moisten her throat so that she could speak louder.

"Umm…I'll just…. I'll leave." Haley said stuttering slightly and turning away from Brooke to head towards the door.

"Haley…" Brooke tried again.

When Haley didn't stop, Brooke attempted to get up out of the bed to follow after her.

Haley had heard the rustle of Brooke's sheet's as she did this and turned around to see what Brooke was doing.

When she realised that Brooke was trying to get out of bed, she quickly made her way back towards her.

"Brooke!" Haley said in disbelief. "You can't get out of bed..."

"You're telling me," Brooke said groaning as she reached up and rubbed at her head.

Brooke flopped back against the head of the bed, feeling light headed from sitting upright too fast.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Haley said helping Brooke back into bed and covering her over with her sheets again.

"I was chasing after you," Brooke said tiredly as a tear ran down her cheek. "You were leaving…"

Haley sighed and placed her hand on the side of Brooke's face wiping away her tear as she felt them forming behind her own eyes.

"Please don't cry Brooke," Haley said softly as she began to cry herself.

"Why?" Brooke asked sadly. "You can't even bear to be in the same room as me for two minutes…"

"That's not true," Haley said taking Brooke's hand up in her own and rubbing it comfortingly. "Brooke…"

"Haley…" Brooke said removing her oxygen mask from her face, her voice cracking slightly as she became slightly breathless. "I'm so sorry about the test...I'm such an idiot…I just…I shouldn't have lied to you…"

Haley picked up Brooke's oxygen mask and placed it back over her face. Brooke reached up to remove it again, but Haley placed her hand softly on top of Brooke's to stop her.

"I don't care about the test…" Haley said quietly, emotion evident in her voice as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You don't?" Brooke asked confused.

"No," Haley said sadly. "I was mad at you before when I said those things…I didn't mean them…any of them…"

"Then why were you leaving?" Brooke asked, her eyes closing slightly with tiredness.

Haley's voice broke a little as she next spoke.

"I thought that you'd hate me…" she said sadly, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. "That you wouldn't want to see me because you thought this was my fault…."

"Haley," Brooke began sitting up to lean closer to her and trying to pull the oxygen mask off again.

Brooke placed a hand onto Haley's shoulder to steady herself as another wave of light-headedness overcame her.

Haley sat on the edge of her bed and helped her rest back against the mattress, once again replacing the oxygen mask.

"You should keep this on," Haley said smiling slightly.

Brooke took a moment to catch her breath, her eyes closed.

When she next opened them, she saw Haley watching her concerned.

"I'm sorry," Brooke said simply.

"I know that…" Haley said nodding her head sadly as she felt more tears fall.

"I'll confess…. to Principal Turner…. I'll tell him it was me." Brooke said. "I know that doesn't make up for what I did to you…"

"Brooke," Haley said laughing a little and placing a hand on the side of Brooke's face. "Would you shut up for two seconds and let me finish?"

Brooke smiled at Haley and nodded.

"You know you're a lot easier to talk to when you're unconscious? At least I could actually get a complete sentence out." Haley laughed.

"Sorry." Brooke said again causing Haley laugh again.

Haley leant forward and rested her head gently against Brooke's forehead, looking into her eyes.

"Brooke…I don't care about the test, ok?" Haley said sighing heavily. "I care about you…about our friendship and what it would mean to me if I didn't have that anymore…"

"Haley…" Brooke began, but Haley raised her hand up to stop her continuing.

"The thought that of losing you and never having the chance to tell you that I understand why you did it…that I forgive you and…and that I wanted us to be friends again…it just…"

Brooke watched Haley closely as she failed to finish her sentence, instead her emotions finally getting the better of her. Brooke felt tears coming. She hated seeing Haley so upset and even worse that she'd been the cause of that pain for her friend only made it ten times worse.

Brooke did the only thing that she could think of and pulled Haley close to her, in a reassuring embrace, hugging her tightly and stroking the side of her face.

For a moment the pair of them remained like this, Brooke holding Haley tightly in her arms as the pair of them cried. Eventually, Brooke spoke.

"Haley…" Brooke said swallowing hard. "There's something that I have to tell you…."

Haley looked up at Brooke.

"Don't," she said cutting Brooke off. "I already know…Peyton told me…"

Brooke looked slightly stunned for a moment before asking quietly, "She did?"

Haley nodded.

"Yeah," Haley said sadly.

Brooke avoided Haley's gaze for a moment and closed her eyes sorrowfully.

"Hey," Haley said rubbing Brooke's arm soothingly. "We're going to get through this Brooke…together…. me and you…and everyone else…you don't have to do this alone anymore."

Brooke reached up and wiped at her eyes trying to stem the fresh flood of tears that were now falling.

"What do you say Brooke Davis?" Haley asked her. "Can we be friends again?"

"I'd really like that…" Brooke said smiling through her tears.

"Good," Haley said smiling. "Because I wasn't going to take no for an answer."

Haley pulled Brooke into another embrace before saying finally.

"I love you girlie…do you know that?"

"I love you Hales," Brooke said hugging her back.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

Twenty minutes had passed since Haley had entered Brooke's room, and now she sat alone beside Brooke's bed as her friend slept. Haley held Brooke's hand comfortingly in her own as she sat there in silence and watched her sleep. All the fear and worry that she'd been feeling before her talk with Brooke, now suddenly replaced with relief and happiness that Brooke seemed to be ok, and that they were once again friends.

As she was sitting and watching Brooke, Haley heard the door open behind her and turned to see who it was. She smiled when she saw that it was Nathan standing in the doorway and beckoned for him to come in.

Nathan closed the door quietly behind him as he entered, so as not to wake Brooke up and walked slowly over to take the empty seat beside Haley.

Haley watched as he glanced at Brooke quickly, a look of concern on his face.

"How's she doing?" Nathan asked Haley quietly as he turned to face her.

"I think she's going to be ok," Haley said smiling at him.

Nathan turned back to face Brooke a moment before looking back at his wife.

"Did you two manage to sort things out?" Nathan asked wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders and pulling her closer so that her head was leaning on his shoulder.

Haley nodded into his arm as she replied.

"Yeah, we're fine" she informed him as she looked at Brooke. "I guess you were right about us."

"Well, of course I was right," Nathan, said laughing. "I'm always right Hales."

Haley turned to look at him, hitting his arm playfully.

"Ow," Nathan complained teasingly. "What was that for?"

"That was for your lack of modesty." Haley said kindly before leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips, taking Nathan by surprise.

"And that…" Haley begun kissing him again. "Is because I love you."

Nathan pulled Haley in closer and started to kiss her back passionately in return, only breaking apart when Brooke finally spoke from her position in bed.

"Eww gross…." Brooke said jokingly as she opened her eyes slightly to look at them. "Could you two get a room? Some of us are trying to sleep here."

Nathan and Haley separated at the sound of Brooke's voice to look at her and laughed.

"Hey Brooke," Nathan said clearing his throat and feeling a little embarrassed.

"Nate," Brooke said laughing at his awkwardness.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her uncomfortably.

"Well," Brooke said tauntingly. "I _was_ feeling a lot better, but I'm starting to feel a little nauseous after witnessing that…"

Nathan noticed Haley laughing beside him and couldn't help but laugh himself.

"You two are unbelievable do you know that?" Nathan asked the pair of them as they continued to laugh at him.

"Sorry," Haley said still laughing, "but you should have seen you're face. It looked like you'd just been scolded by your mom for something."

"Well Brooke startled me," Nathan defended himself. "I thought she was sleeping."

"Nathan, you should know by now that I'm full of surprises," Brooke said still laughing. "Always expect the unexpected."

"I'll remember that in future," Nathan said smiling at Brooke.

"That's all I ask," Brooke replied trying to sit up in the bed a little.

Nathan stood from where he was sitting to help her.

"Thanks," Brooke said sincerely once he'd taken his seat again.

"I wouldn't want you to fall out of bed and knock you're head again." Nathan said mockingly. "I mean you've probably already lost of couple of IQ points, you're going to need whatever's left for your finals."

Brooke feigned hurt and hit Nathan gently on the arm causing him to laugh.

"Perhaps we should buy you a hard hat," Haley joined in teasingly. "Just in case you head butt a wall or something."

"You two are going to need matching ones in a moment, when I beat the crap out of you." Brooke said laughing.

"Nah," Nathan said. "You're co-ordination is probably still shot from all the alcohol you drank last night."

"Yeah," Haley agreed. "You'll most likely miss us and end up punching a wall."

Brooke pouted a moment before responding.

"I hate you," she said, crossing her arms jokingly across her chest.

"No you don't." Haley said laughing at her.

Brooke smiled at them and laughed.

"Ok I don't…" she agreed.

Just then the door opened again, causing the three of them to turn and look towards it.

"Thank god," Brooke said when she saw Peyton standing there. "Would you please come in here and help me defend myself against these two?"

Peyton laughed and stepped into the room.

Nathan stood from his chair as Peyton entered, but Peyton beckoned for him to remain sitting.

"The doctor got fed up with us all lingering in the corridor so he said it was ok if we came in," Peyton informed them.

"We?" Brooke asked slightly confused.

As Peyton neared, Brooke noticed Mouth, Skills and Lucas all enter the room behind her. Lucas closed the door once they were all inside and continued to approach the bed after the others.

"Hey Brooke," Mouth said as he reached her and stood on the opposite side of the bed to where Nathan and Haley were sitting. "How are you?"

"Hey Mouth," Brooke said taking his hand in hers and winking at him. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Mouth asked her.

"Yeah, really," Brooke said smiling at him. "Well, apart from being teased by those two over there." She added nodding towards Haley and Nathan.

"You started it," Nathan complained.

"I know," Brooke said. "But I was bored…and I really didn't want to listen to the pair of you making out."

Nathan blushed a little as he felt the rest of the groups' eyes on him.

A comfortable silence fell over the group for a moment before Brooke finally broke it.

"So when are you guys heading back to Tree Hill?" she asked looking around at her friends.

For an instant everyone seemed a little taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked her as he stood beside Mouth.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong but don't you have school tomorrow?" Brooke asked them.

"Yeah, but Brooke we aren't going to leave you here alone…" Peyton said surprised.

"Why not?" Brooke asked her. "I mean I'm in a hospital, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Brooke…" Haley begun. "You can't be serious?"

"I can't?" she asked jokingly.

Haley gave her a meaningful look before responding.

"Well of course you _can_." She answered her laughing. "But we're not just going to abandon you here."

"Yeah," Mouth agreed.

"Look guys…" Brooke said looking between her friends. "As nice as it is to have you here, you've got finals coming up. You can't miss school just to sit around here with me all day. I mean we can't all flunk out of high school."

"Wait," Skills said. "So it's ok for you to get out of school, but we can't?"

"Exactly," Brooke said pointing a finger towards Skills excitedly.

Skills laughed at Brooke a moment before she continued.

"Besides," she began. "I'd feel bad if you guys stayed."

"How exactly were you planning on getting home?" Peyton asked Brooke interestedly "You can't drive after a head injury."

"Ahh," Brooke said in response. "I hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. I mean I'm not really a forward planner. More of a see what happens kind of person."

"Well, I'm staying." Peyton said.

"Peyton…" Brooke began to protest.

"No Brooke," Peyton interrupted. "I'll stay with you until you're discharged and drive you home. No arguments."

Brooke sighed.

"Fine," Brooke said resigned. "But the rest of you should go home. Or at the very least go back to the motel and get some sleep, because you all look like crap."

Brooke paused for a moment before adding. "And I mean that in the nicest possible way of course."

Everyone laughed at this before Haley spoke up.

"Thanks Brooke," Haley said still laughing.

"Seriously guys," Brooke pleaded. "I mean I'll probably be sleeping anyway, it's not like you're going to miss much. Then when you come back you can tell me that you're all heading home."

The group glanced at each other then back at Brooke who watched Haley satisfactorily as she yawned in her seat.

"See," Brooke said pointing a finger at her friend. "You need to sleep."

"I hate it when you're right." Haley said laughing.

"Brooke," Peyton begun. "I'm not going to leave you here alone."

"Peyton it'll only be a couple of hours. Besides I can't even get out of bed, it's not like I'm going to run off anywhere." Brooke insisted.

"Brooke…" Peyton tried again.

"Peyton…" Brooke countered. "I need you rested if you're going to be driving me home and you won't be able to do that here because if you try and stay I'll just poke you whilst you sleep."

"Meanie," Peyton said sticking her tongue out at Brooke.

Brooke stuck her tongue out at Peyton in return and laughed.

"Fine," Peyton said in defeat. "But only a couple of hours."

Brooke nodded at her whilst smiling.

"Good, now get the hell out of here before I call security on your ass." Brooke laughed.

"Ok, we're going," Haley, said as she stood up from her chair and leant down to give Brooke a hug. "Get some rest."

"I promise," Brooke, said as she hugged Haley back.

The rest of the group all said their goodbyes to Brooke before Peyton finally approached her friend.

Peyton took up Brooke's hand in her own before speaking.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Peyton asked her anxiously. "I mean what if something happens?"

"It won't," Brooke replied sensing her friends worry. "Peyton I promise I'll be fine, ok? Just…go and get some rest, please?"

Peyton nodded sadly.

"Ok," she said before pulling Brooke into a tight embrace. "Love you."

"I know, love you too" Brooke said hugging Peyton back. "Now get out of here already."

Peyton squeezed Brooke one last time before releasing her from her grasp and following the others towards the door.

As Peyton reached the threshold she turned back to look at Brooke one last time.

Just as she was about to leave, Brooke called out to her.

"Hey Peyton." Brooke said causing Peyton to stop in her tracks.

"Yeah?" Peyton asked her.

"Thanks." Brooke said sincerely.

"What for?" Peyton asked confused.

"For being my friend," Brooke said. "And for being here for me."

Peyton smiled back at Brooke and nodded.

"I'll see you later Brooke," Peyton said as she turned to leave.

"Count on it," Brooke said smiling and causing Peyton to throw Brooke a quick glance before finally leaving the room.

Once Peyton had left the room, Brooke rested back against the head of the bed and closed her eyes as she reached up to rub soothingly at her head. The truth was she was feeling awful. Ever since Brooke had woken up, she'd had a terrible headache, which had caused her vision to become blurred and was now making her feel nauseous once again.

**(Outside Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

As the others left the hospital and headed towards Lucas' car, Peyton was lingering in the doorway, debating whether or not to go back inside and stay with Brooke. She hated the idea that she'd be here all alone. What if something happened to her? Peyton knew Brooke had said she was feeling better, but it didn't help to ease her worry. What if the doctor was unable to reach them because they were sleeping?

Peyton didn't like the idea of something happening without her knowing about it straight away.

Just then, Peyton felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to face Lucas.

"Hey," he said knowingly. "Are you coming?"

"No," Peyton said shaking her head. "I think I'll stay here."

"Peyton…" Lucas began reassuringly. "Brooke's right, you've been up all night, you should get some rest. They have our number in case something should happen…"

"That's just it," Peyton interrupted. "I don't want to be called if something happens Lucas, I want to be here…someone should be with her."

Lucas looked at Peyton understandingly as she continued.

"I know Brooke," Peyton said explaining. "She doesn't want to be alone Lucas. She's acting all tough on the outside because she doesn't want us to worry about her but deep down I know she's scared. I can't leave her alone."

"Peyton you're practically sleep walking at the moment." Lucas said watching Peyton concerned. "If you don't look after yourself, you're only going to end up making yourself sick and what good would you be to Brooke then?"

Lucas pulled Peyton into a warm embrace before handing her his car keys.

"I'll tell you what," Lucas said as he released her. "You take the others back to the motel and get some sleep…and I'll stay here and watch over Brooke for you. That way you can get some sleep and if anything happens I can get in contact with you straight away."

"Lucas…" Peyton began.

"That way Brooke won't be alone," Lucas interrupted her.

Peyton considered it a moment and looked back into the hospital before glancing back at Lucas.

"I know you're worried Peyton," Lucas said placing his hand on her arm comfortingly. "But Brooke will be fine. I promise."

"Thank you," Peyton said nodding and kissing Lucas.

Lucas pulled Peyton back into another warm embrace, kissing her forehead lightly before she finally separated herself from him and headed towards the others and Lucas' car.

Lucas waved as his friends departed the hospital grounds and headed back to the motel before finally turning around and walking back into the hospital.

Once inside, Lucas headed towards the canteen, not wanting to go back to Brooke's room straight away in case she was still awake.

It wasn't until he was there that Lucas realised how hungry he was and so he purchased himself a sandwich and something to drink.

Lucas sat eating for about half an hour before finally deciding that it was time to go back to Brooke's room.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

Lucas opened the door to Brooke's room quietly, trying not to wake her in case she was asleep. However, when he entered the room he saw that Brooke was not asleep but in fact awake.

Brooke looked up as she heard the door open and was surprised to see Lucas standing there.

"Luke?" she asked surprised as she rested the kidney dish in her lap and rested her head back against the bed. "What are you doing here? I thought you all went back to the motel?"

Lucas closed the door behind him and approached Brooke as he answered.

"Peyton refused to leave you here on your own so I offered to stay." He said, as he stood beside the bed. "I hope that's ok?"

Brooke looked at him for a moment, trying to read his expression before answering.

"Yeah well the truth is I really didn't want to be left here alone," she answered smiling. "I mean I hate hospitals."

Lucas smiled at her response.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked him curiously.

"Because that's what Peyton said." He laughed.

Brooke laughed a little before answering.

"She knows me too well," Brooke said smiling as she reached for the kidney dish in her lap.

Lucas looked at Brooke concerned for a moment.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah fine," Brooke lied avoiding his gaze.

"You're a horrible liar." Lucas said as she looked up to meet his gaze. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Brooke said.

Lucas gave Brooke an 'I don't believe you' look.

"Fine," Brooke finally gave in. "I just feel a little sick, it'll pass in a moment."

"How long have you felt like this?" Lucas asked worried. "Should I get the doctor?"

"No," Brooke replied quickly. "I'll be fine, honestly, it'll pass."

As she said it though, Brooke grabbed quickly for her oxygen mask and pulled it down around her neck, before being sick into the kidney dish in her other hand.

"Brooke…" Lucas began reaching for some tissue on the side table and handing it to Brooke.

Brooke took the tissue gratefully and wiped her mouth.

"Thanks," she said sincerely, as she reached over and placed the kidney dish on the nearby table.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were feeling this way?" Lucas asked her as Brooke replaced her oxygen mask and rested back against the head of the bed closing her eyes.

"They'd only worry," Brooke said. "Besides it's nothing really, just a bit of nausea."

"Yeah but Brooke…" Lucas began watching her sadly.

"Honestly, Lucas I'm fine," Brooke interrupted, opening her eyes slightly to look at him.

"How long do you think that you can keep this up?" Lucas asked her sadly.

Brooke watched him closely, reading the expression in his eyes.

"Keep what up?" she asked quietly.

"Pretending that everything's fine when it isn't." Lucas explained. "Why won't you let anyone help you?"

"Lucas I don't know what your…."

"I know about the cancer Brooke," Lucas cut her off. "We all do…it came up before with the doctor…"

For a moment Brooke looked stunned. Haley had told Brooke that she knew about her illness after Peyton had told her earlier today, but Brooke had no idea that everyone else knew it too.

"Why didn't you all say something before?" Brooke asked shocked.

"Why didn't you?" Lucas countered.

"It's not that easy," Brooke said quietly. "It isn't something that I could just drop into casual conversation…"

"You could have told us Brooke," Lucas said. "What? Did you think that we wouldn't want to be there for you through this?"

"Oh please," Brooke said. "You of all people should know exactly what I was going through. After all, I don't remember you telling us about your heart condition…"

"That was different…" Lucas started.

"How?" Brooke asked genuinely interested.

Lucas watched her for a moment, not speaking. Deep down he knew that he couldn't judge Brooke because she was right. Lucas hadn't told anyone when he'd found out that he had HCM. There was no difference between the two situations. Both of them had been trying to protect the people that they loved, to carry on and live life as though nothing was different.

"That's what I thought," Brooke said reading Lucas' expression.

"Brooke…" Lucas said.

"You want to know the truth Lucas?" Brooke interrupted him. "The real reason that I didn't tell anyone that I was ill?"

Lucas stared at her for a moment, not really sure if he did want to hear her reasons or not. Brooke continued nevertheless.

"I told Peyton and Mouth it was because I didn't want to hurt them, because I didn't want people to see me as being vulnerable and weak. I told them that I didn't want people to worry about me or act differently around me, that I was scared."

Brooke paused for a moment before continuing.

"Those reasons were all true," Brooke, said sadly before continuing. "But there's also another reason."

"Brooke…" Lucas said trying to stop her.

"No Lucas, you wanted to talk about it. So let's talk about it." Brooke said. "The truth is that I didn't tell anyone when I first found out about the cancer because I didn't care."

Lucas closed his eyes a moment at Brooke's words.

"Brooke…" Lucas tried again.

"I didn't care if I had cancer Lucas, because at the time, I didn't care if I lived or not... Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"You don't mean that…" Lucas said watching Brooke closely.

Brooke watched him for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah…" she said sadly. "I do. When I found out I was ill, I had no one Lucas. Peyton and me weren't talking. You and I had broken up. Haley and Nathan had just got married and she was expecting their baby. They were happy together...I couldn't tell them about it..."

"What about Rachel and your parents?" Lucas asked her.

Brooke laughed at his question.

"Me and Rachel weren't exactly the best of friends when I found out." She explained. "Sure I was living with her, but I couldn't confide in her and I haven't spoken to my parents in two months Lucas…"

"Did you know before you broke up with me?" Lucas asked her.

"Why do you want to know? What's that got to do with anything?" she asked Lucas. "It wouldn't have changed anything..."

"You don't know that." Lucas countered her.

Lucas paused for a moment watching Brooke closely.

"Well..." he finally continued. "Did you?"

Brooke didn't answer him, instead avoiding his gaze.

"Brooke... did you know?" Lucas asked her quietly.

Brooke looked at him for a moment, neither one of them speaking.

"No," she said finally. "I didn't."

Lucas watched Brooke's eyes closely, trying to see a hint of a lie in them, but he couldn't see anything. No emotion, no sign whether what she had just said had been true or not.

"Brooke…" Lucas started.

"Lucas, could you please leave?" she asked turning away from him.

Lucas looked at her sadly for a moment as she ignored him before finally sighing and turning to leave the room.

Brooke heard as the door closed after him and closed her eyes as tears fell once again from her eyes. She'd promised herself that she'd never tell anyone of the most painful reason for keeping her cancer a secret and now she wished that she could take it back.

**(Outside Brooke's Room)**

Outside Brooke's room, Lucas leant back against the back of the door and closed his eyes as he cursed himself silently. Lucas felt tears behind his eyes and when he opened them again, one ran slowly down his cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Outside)**

After Lucas had left Brooke's room, he'd stood resting his back against her door and broken down crying. For what seemed like the longest time, Lucas struggled to fight the urge to go back in and see Brooke, but he knew that he'd upset her and regretted that deeply now. The last thing that Brooke needed at the moment was more stress in her life, especially from him.

After about ten minutes, Lucas had left the intensive care unit, instead heading outside to get some fresh air and clear his head. He felt as though the last couple of days were finally getting the better of him but he knew that he needed to keep his emotions in check in order to support the people that he loved.

Once he'd left the hospital building, Lucas walked over to a nearby bench and sat down slowly in the empty seat, just him alone with his thoughts.

As he sat there, Lucas started going over everything that had happened in the last couple of days. Lucas wondered how the last forty-eight hours could possibly seem to have lasted so long. He asked himself whether the others had felt the same way. If they too thought that what should have been a normal two day period in fact appeared to last a week.

Time was funny that way. It could be cruel, taunting almost.

During the best moments of your life, time seems to vanish into nothing. Slipping through your fingers like grains of sand. It doesn't matter how hard you try to hold onto it, you can't. In those moments, time passes you by without a second thought, ticking your life away. Before you know it, the moments passed and as much as you try, you can't take it back.

Then there's the reverse, the moments where time seems endless. The moments in your life, which are difficult or upsetting. The moments that appear to drag on forever, mocking you silently as they watch you struggle. It's the universes twisted logic. Hurrying the best moments of life, but slowing down those, which you'd, rather were over quickly.

Lucas was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of an ambulance entering the hospital grounds.

He thought back to what Brooke had said to him earlier in her room.

"_**Oh please," Brooke said. "You of all people should know exactly what I was going through. After all, I don't remember you telling us about your heart condition…"**_

Lucas had tried to argue with Brooke that the situations were completely different, but she'd been right. When he'd first discovered that he had HCM, Lucas had shut everyone out, pretended as though nothing was wrong with him for all the same reasons that Brooke had hidden the news of her cancer.

Lucas thought back once again to what Brooke had shared with him.

"_**No Lucas, you wanted to talk about it. So let's talk about it." Brooke said. "Truth is that I didn't tell anyone when I first found out because I didn't care."**_

_**Lucas closed his eyes a moment at Brooke's words.**_

"_**Brooke…" Lucas tried again.**_

"_**I didn't care if I had cancer Lucas, because at the time, I didn't care if I lived or not. Is that what you wanted to hear?"**_

As he remembered Brooke's words, Lucas felt tears forming in his eyes once again. That's where he and Brooke were different. The main reason Lucas had hidden his HCM from his family and friends was because he was scared, not because he was apathetic to life.

Lucas knew that there came a point in time, when everyone's life would come to an end and he could cope with that knowledge. What had scared him about finding out he had HCM was knowing that the time when his life could end might be sooner rather than later.

With that knowledge came a fear that he wouldn't be able to achieve the things from life that he wanted, that whatever his purpose was in life, he would not complete. After the state championship, Lucas had suffered a heart attack because he'd not taken his medication. With one simple choice, Lucas could have thrown his life away, but by some miracle he hadn't.

It was only afterwards that Lucas truly appreciated how precious time was, how privileged he was to still be alive when others weren't so lucky. Keith had shown him that you should be thankful for the time you have and enjoy it whilst you can, because sooner or later it'll be over.

It was because of this that Lucas had been upset to hear Brooke's confession. How could someone who'd been so full of optimism and hope, be indifferent to life? How could she not care whether or not she lived? Brooke had witnessed loss. She'd been there for Peyton following the death of both her mothers and had supported Lucas after he'd lost Keith. Brooke had been affected by the loss of Jimmy, she along with Peyton had experienced a gun pointing in her direction, had known what it was like to fear for your life.

Brooke should know more than anyone how short live can be, how you should make every second count. In fact, it was a part of Brooke's personality.

It upset Lucas to think that she had felt so low…so closed off from everyone that she'd started to doubt that.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas noticed someone take the empty seat behind him, dragging him back to the harsh reality, which he was facing.

His life had been turned upside down at prom. The knowledge of psycho Derek's attack on Peyton and Brooke, the revelation that it had been Dan that'd killed Keith, not Jimmy all coupled with the recent news of Brooke's cancer and her sudden unexpected fight for life.

He knew that these times were sent to test him, that it's only by surviving through the difficult times that you appreciated the good ones. However, that knowledge didn't help Lucas to feel any better. He already appreciated what he had, a good group of friends, a girlfriend that he loved and a mom who loved him. Lucas wondered what it could possibly be that he wasn't appreciating?

Just then Lucas' watch beeped, and he looked at its face, noting that another hour had passed and it was now eleven o' clock. It was then Lucas realised that he'd been sitting outside for the best part of an hour. Lucas thought it was time that he went back upstairs to check on Brooke, to apologise for upsetting her before.

He'd not meant to force the issue with her, but ever since he'd found out about her cancer, Lucas couldn't help but wonder if that had been why she'd broken up with him. Lucas couldn't help but ask, what if?

Yesterday he'd been questioning how his life had ended up where it was today. At Keith's grave he'd considered where he would have been had Jimmy not brought a gun into the school? If him and Peyton hadn't kissed in the library, would he and Brooke have broken up?

Him and Peyton had always had a connection. Before Lucas had even met Brooke, he'd felt something for Peyton. Somehow he thought that even if the shooting didn't happen, he'd still have found his way to her in the end. Why then, didn't he find her sooner? Following his return from Charlotte, both him and Peyton had been single, but it had been Brooke that Lucas was drawn back to, not her.

Lucas shook himself, trying to rid all these thoughts. He loved Peyton. Deep down he felt that he always had. Almost losing her taught him that. This was stupid, Lucas thought to himself, finally pushing everything out of his mind and standing up from the bench.

He couldn't spend his life in retrospect, stuck living in the past. He had to live in the moment. Right now, he'd promised Peyton that he'd keep an eye on Brooke and be there for her so that she wasn't alone. He wasn't about to break that promise.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

Upstairs, Brooke was once again being sick. She hated being ill, confined to bed when she could be out enjoying herself. Brooke shook her head as the realisation hit her that this would probably be her life for the next couple of months. Following her surgery, Brooke was expected to have chemotherapy, and at this moment she wasn't sure if she could face it. The constant nausea and weakness, preventing her from spending time with her friends and doing the things she loved.

Just then another wave of nausea hit her and Brooke was sick into the kidney dish before her. Once she'd finished, Brooke felt a little better and placed the dish back onto the side table before replacing her oxygen mask. As she rested her head back against the bed and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted Brooke came to a decision.

Brooke heard a noise at the door to her room and opened her eyes slightly to see who was there.

"Hey," Lucas said hesitantly entering the room and closing the door behind him.

Brooke closed her eyes again ignoring Lucas as he approached her bed and took a seat beside it.

"Listen Brooke…" Lucas said when Brooke still refused to say anything. "I'm sorry about before…it was unfair of me to judge you for keeping this to yourself… especially considering that I did the exact same thing."

Brooke opened her eyes slightly to look at Lucas.

"Yeah well…" she started tiredly. "Let's just forget about it."

Lucas took Brooke's hand in his, startling her slightly.

"Brooke, you know we're all here for you through this," Lucas began sincerely. "If you ever need to talk about anything, we're here for you… all of us. I know this is hard for you…"

"Please don't give me your sympathy Lucas," Brooke interrupted him, pulling her hand from his before he could finish. "I don't need it and I don't want it."

"Brooke," Lucas began confused. "What is wrong with people worrying about you? Hales, Peyton…we all care about you."

"You make me sound like an invalid," Brooke said.

"Brooke you're ill, ok? You have cancer. What do you want me to do, pretend like nothing's wrong?" Lucas asked her.

"Yeah," Brooke said surprising him. "That'd be great."

"Brooke?" Lucas started again.

"Lucas, its bad enough that I have to except the fact that I could die but I don't need other people reminding me of it every two minutes as well." Brooke explained.

Lucas watched her closely for a moment as she averted her gaze.

"I'm sorry…. I just…. I don't know what I should say." Lucas said in response.

"You don't have to say anything Lucas, that's the point." Brooke said.

Lucas closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

"You said your parents don't know yet…" Lucas said sadly remembering their earlier conversation. "And Peyton told me that you're having surgery next week… don't you think you should tell them?"

"Lucas it isn't as though I haven't tried," Brooke said a little angry. "We're not all lucky enough to have a mom like yours."

"I just think that they should be here for you through this," Lucas said reaching for her hand again.

Brooke moved it out of his reach.

"You know, Peyton might have lost two moms but at least she knew that they loved her, Lucas. Do you know what I'd give to have my parents here right now?" Brooke asked him.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lucas said regretfully. "I just…"

"You know what?" Brooke said pulling back the sheets from over her. "Screw this."

"Brooke what are you doing?" Lucas asked shocked as Brooke swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Leaving…" Brooke said as she tried to adjust to her new upright position.

"Are you serious?" Lucas asked stunned, standing from his seat. "Brooke you can't leave…"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Brooke said removing her oxygen mask from her face and throwing it back onto the bed.

"This is crazy," Lucas said trying to get Brooke back into bed.

Just then the door opened and Brooke's doctor entered closely followed by Peyton and Haley who had returned from the motel.

"What's going on?" Peyton asked taking in the scene before her.

"Brooke is trying to leave." Lucas explained as he stood before the bed, Brooke standing up and almost falling flat on her face as dizziness overcame her.

Lucas caught her before she fell onto the floor and tried to get her back into bed.

"Miss Davis?" the doctor said, rushing over to Brooke in Lucas' grasp. "You really shouldn't be out of bed…"

"I just want to go home," Brooke said struggling to free herself. "You can't make me stay here if I don't want to."

"Brooke," Peyton began worriedly. "You can't even stand up on your own right now…"

"I don't care," Brooke cut her off sadly her voice breaking. "I just want to go home."

"Let's sit down a moment," the doctor suggested, helping Brooke back onto the bed. "We can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about it." Brooke protested as she sat on the edge of the bed

"Miss Davis, it really is in your best interest to stay here for a couple of days…"

"No," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Brooke…" Haley said walking towards her friend and placing a hand gently on her arm.

"Haley please…" Brooke pleaded with her.

Haley turned to face Peyton a moment before looking back at Brooke and sighing.

"Miss Davis," the doctor tried again. "You're really not well enough to be discharged yet. You suffered a serious head injury last night. You're still at risks of complications. If you leave now, you could end up paralysed or worse. I _urge_ you to reconsider this."

Brooke looked at the doctor for a moment without responding.

"Jesus Brooke," Peyton said as she walked towards her. "You almost died last night, do you get that? This is ridiculous. When I left you earlier, you were more than happy to stay here. What's changed?"

Brooke looked at Peyton before answering.

"Say I stay here," Brooke began sadly. "I'll be discharged, what? Tuesday? I'm supposed to have surgery on Wednesday, Peyton. I won't be discharged from one hospital only to be admitted into another one the next day…"

Peyton put her hand on the side of Brooke's face gently and looked her friend in the eye. Brooke met Peyton's gaze and saw tears there, causing more to form in her own eyes.

"Brooke, please, think about what you're doing here…" Peyton begged. "It's only a couple of days…"

"Not to me it isn't," Brooke disagreed, shaking her head sadly.

Peyton closed her eyes for a moment, knowing what Brooke was suggesting and pulled Brooke nearer to her, enveloping her into a tight embrace.

"Please…" Peyton whispered to her quietly as she began to cry over Brooke's shoulder. "Brooke…_please_ don't do this."

Brooke closed her eyes for a moment and reached up to place her hand over her mouth at the sudden ache she was feeling for the pain she was causing Peyton.

Haley and Lucas watched as Peyton appealed to Brooke, each one hoping that Brooke would come to her senses and choose to stay.

"Miss Davis," the doctor said as he watched the girls in front of him. " I can't make you stay here if you don't want to, but if you leave it'll be against my medical opinion."

Brooke opened her eyes at the doctors' words.

"I'm sorry," Brooke said sadly to Peyton, who released Brooke to look at her.

"Brooke…" Peyton began sadly.

Brooke looked at the doctor, tears in her eyes before saying.

"I'll sign whatever you need me to." Brooke said quietly.

Peyton ran her hand through her hair before turning away from Brooke and walking towards Lucas who wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

The doctor watched Brooke closely for a moment not saying anything.

"Miss Davis…" he began in one final attempt to convince her to stay. "Please just think about this some more…"

Brooke looked between Peyton and Haley and closed her eyes before rubbing soothingly at her forehead. She wanted to go home more than anything, to get out of this place so that she could go back to her life in Tree Hill. However, looking at her friends now, Brooke wasn't sure if she could do that…


	8. Chapter 8

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

"_**Miss Davis…" he began in one final attempt to convince her to stay. "Please just think about this some more…"**_

_**Brooke looked between Peyton and Haley and closed her eyes before rubbing soothingly at her forehead. She wanted to go home more than anything, to get out of this place so that she could go back to her life in Tree Hill. However, looking at her friends now, Brooke wasn't sure if she could do that…**_

Brooke looked once again between Peyton and Haley, noting the worried expressions on their faces and sighing before eventually turning back to face the doctor.

Deep down Brooke knew that she was about to do the right thing, but if that were true than why was it hurting her so much.

Brooke closed her eyes a moment to avoid Peyton and Haley's gaze as she spoke to the doctor standing before her.

"Please," Brooke began tiredly, her voice hoarse with emotion. "Can you ask them to leave?"

On hearing Brooke's words, an expression of shock came across Peyton's face, an expression that was quickly followed by hurt.

"Brooke…" Peyton said sadly as she took a step towards her friend.

"Please?" Brooke asked him again, slowly opening her eyes to look at the doctor.

The doctor turned towards Peyton, Haley and Lucas and threw them an empathetic look.

"I'm sorry," he said shrugging slightly. "But I'm afraid that you'll have to wait outside…"

"Brooke…" Peyton pleaded again as she broke free from Lucas' embrace to approach where Brooke was still sitting on the edge of the bed. "Please…don't do this…"

Brooke avoided Peyton's glance, instead focusing on a spot on the floor and pretending not to have heard her.

The doctor walked over to Peyton and placed a hand gently on her arm.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said kindly.

The doctor knew how Peyton and the others must have been feeling right now. All they wanted was the best for Brooke, but for some reason she didn't appear to want that for herself.

Peyton nodded slowly as she continued to watch Brooke, her stare unrelenting. She wanted Brooke to look at her, to somehow make her realise that this was a mistake…but Brooke never looked up. Not once.

Peyton felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lucas standing behind her. He smiled sadly at Peyton and reached down to take her hand in his own. Lucas glanced sadly at Brooke before turning and leading Peyton towards the door after Haley.

Just as Peyton was about to leave she paused in the doorway, looking back at Brooke with tears in her eyes.

"Brooke…. you're not alone anymore…. _please_…don't shut us out." Peyton said crying before turning and exiting the room behind Lucas and slowly closing the door.

The doctor watched as Peyton and the others left before turning around to face Brooke. Almost immediately after looking at Brooke, the doctor averted his gaze, feeling as though he was intruding on a very personal moment. Before him, Brooke had broken down into tears, her eyes closed and her hand covering her mouth as she sobbed uncontrollably.

It was in that moment that the doctor finally saw Brooke Davis for the person that she was, vulnerable and scared.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

Once outside the room, Peyton stood looking slightly confused as she paced back and forth in front of Lucas and Haley who were sitting in some empty chairs side by side.

"I don't understand," Peyton mused. "She was fine a couple of hours ago, what happened?"

Peyton stopped in her tracks to face both Lucas and Haley.

"I mean, did she seem ok after we left?" Peyton asked him worriedly. "Did she say anything to you about wanting to go home? Or…"

Lucas stood from his chair to approach Peyton and placed a hand reassuringly on her arm.

"Peyton," Lucas interrupted her. "Brooke is trying to deal with a lot at the moment. I just…I think that maybe she feels as though it's all getting a bit too much for her, you know? All you can do is be there for her when she needs you, she'll come to you when she's ready."

Peyton pulled Lucas into a warm embrace and he wrapped his arms around her back protectively.

"I know Brooke," Peyton started sadly over Lucas' shoulder. "If something is too hard, or too painful for her to deal with she starts pushing people away, closing herself off…how can I be there for her if she won't let me?"

Haley stood up from her seat and walked over towards Peyton as her and Lucas separated. When she reached Peyton, Haley took her arm in her own.

"You know, you two are more alike then you think in that respect?" Haley commented. "I mean, what would Brooke do, those times when you tried to close yourself off? How would she be there for you?"

Peyton looked at Haley and laughed slightly, wiping at her eyes with her free hand.

"She just…would." Peyton said remembering back to after her mom died. "She wouldn't take no for an answer, she'd just turn up…she'd sit with me all day even if we didn't speak…"

"Then maybe you shouldn't take no for an answer either?" Lucas suggested to Peyton. "Maybe what Brooke needs is some tough love?"

"Maybe what she needs…" Haley suggested. "Is to know that she's loved."

Lucas looked at Haley a moment, a sudden thought coming to mind. Peyton watched him curiously as she noticed his change in expression.

"What's the matter?" Peyton asked him quietly after a moment.

"I think Haley's right," Lucas said looking down at Peyton before him. "Do you have a number for Brooke's parents?"

"Uh…yeah," Peyton said fishing inside her bag for her address book.

Peyton handed the book to him and Lucas took it gratefully.

"What are you going to do?" Haley asked as Lucas flicked through the pages until he found the number he was looking for.

"I'm going to call them," Lucas said looking up to meet her questioning gaze. "After all they should know what's happened."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Haley asked him. "I mean what if she doesn't want them to know?"

"Trust me Hales," Lucas said placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think this will help."

Lucas turned to Peyton and kissed her affectionately on the forehead.

"I won't be long," he said. "I'm just going to go and find a pay phone and see if I get a hold of them."

Peyton nodded gratefully at Lucas.

"Ok," she said quietly as Lucas kissed her once again.

Both Peyton and Haley watched in silence as Lucas made his way up the corridor. Behind them, Haley and Peyton heard someone clearing their throat and turned to face them.

"I thought I'd let you know that Brooke's agreed to stay here for a couple of days," the doctor said to them once they were facing him.

"Really?" Peyton asked feeling slightly more relieved. "What made her change her mind?"

The doctor shrugged at Peyton's question.

"Honestly," he said in response. "I don't know."

"Can we see her?" Haley asked the doctor.

At Haley's question, the doctor glanced down at the floor to avoid her gaze.

"I'm afraid that she doesn't want to see anyone." He answered sadly. "I'm sorry, but I have to abide by my patient's wishes."

Haley and Peyton exchanged a quick glance whilst the doctor continued.

"Personally," he carried on. "I think that Brooke just needs to talk to someone about how she feels. She's obviously scared and it's understandable with everything that's going on."

The doctor paused momentarily giving Haley and Peyton a meaningful glance.

"I suppose… if you two should happen to go in there without my knowledge," he said knowingly. "Then there's not much that I can really do about that."

Peyton smiled at the doctor kindly.

"Thank you," she said nodding appreciatively.

"Just give me a couple of minutes to disappear," he said smiling back at the girls and winking kindly before turning towards the desk and leaving the pair of them standing together in the corridor.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Outside)**

Lucas hung up the receiver after leaving a message on the Davis' answer machine. He'd attempted to call them three times before finally deciding to leave them a message.

Just as he was about to head back inside to meet Peyton and Haley, Lucas heard someone call his name from the parking lot and turned to look at them.

"Hey Luke," Nathan called as he, Skills and Mouth approached.

"Hey guys," Lucas said as they reached him. "You finally decided to join us huh?"

"I was tired," Skills protested.

Lucas laughed at his answer and turned to Nathan as he spoke.

"Besides Haley and Peyton were getting a little restless back at the motel so they drove your car back here a little earlier… without us." He added laughing

Lucas looked at Nathan slightly confused.

"Then how you get here?" Lucas asked Nathan puzzled.

"We went to pick Brooke's car up from the garage and I drove that." Nathan answered him, flashing Lucas, Brooke's car keys in his hand.

"What were you doing out here?" Mouth asked Lucas.

"I was trying to get hold of Brooke's parents." Lucas replied, throwing Mouth a meaningful glance.

"Any luck?" Skills asked him.

"No," Lucas said sighing heavily. "I just got their answering machine."

"Damn," Skills said.

"I left them a message," Lucas shrugged. "But I don't know, perhaps they're on vacation or something."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Nathan agreed before asking. "Are Peyton and Haley upstairs with Brooke?"

"Uh, yeah." Lucas said hesitantly as Nathan began making his way towards the building with Skills.

When he noticed that Lucas wasn't following, Nathan turned back to face him and Mouth.

"You guys coming?" he asked them.

"We'll be up in a minute," Lucas said. "I think I'm going to try Brooke's parents one last time."

"Ok, see you a minute." Nathan said before turning and continuing into the hospital with Skills.

Once they'd disappeared Lucas turned to Mouth who was watching him closely. Silently Mouth removed his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to Lucas who scrolled through the outgoing messages and smiled to himself.

"Perfect," he said looking at Mouth and patting him on the arm firmly. "I think maybe we should move onto the next part of the plan." Lucas suggested.

"Are you sure Luke?" Mouth asked anxiously. "I mean he's still your dad."

Lucas smiled at Mouth and nodded.

"Yeah…I'm sure," Lucas said putting his hand on Mouth's shoulder reassuringly. "It's time Mouth."

**(Intensive Care Unit: Corridor)**

Haley and Peyton sat outside Brooke rooms together whilst the doctor wrote notes at the nearby desk.

Both girls were eager to go back inside and see Brooke, however, they wanted to give her some time to herself before they did. Maybe once she'd had some time to think, she'd open up to them a little more. At least, that's what Peyton was hoping.

As they sat there together, Haley and Peyton noticed Nathan and Skills as they walked towards them.

Haley stood up to greet her husband, hugging him warmly as he reached her.

"Hey," she said kissing him. "Did you get some more rest after I'd left?"

"A little," Nathan informed her. "I couldn't really get back to sleep."

Haley brushed the side of Nathan's face gently with her hand before kissing him again.

"B. Davis kicked you out?" Skills asked them when he realised they weren't sitting with her.

"Actually," Peyton said as she stood up. "She did."

"What?" Nathan asked looking between Haley and Peyton. "Why?"

Both girls shrugged in response to Nathan's question.

"Hey," Haley asked Nathan and Skills realising that only the two of them were here. "Where's Mouth?"

"I'm here," Mouth said as he approached them with Lucas.

"How'd it go?" Peyton asked Lucas as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Lucas reciprocated the gesture as he answered her.

"No luck," he said sighing heavily. "They weren't home."

"Well, we'll just have to keep trying." Peyton said optimistically. "They have to be in at some point right?"

"Yeah maybe," Lucas said not sounding too convinced.

After all if Brooke hadn't been able to contact them in two months, what were the chances that they would.

For a moment the six of them stood in a comfortable silence. After a minute, Mouth caught Lucas' eye quickly before facing the others and speaking.

"Hey listen," Mouth started tentatively. "I was thinking about what Brooke said earlier. About us heading back to Tree Hill without her…I think maybe she was right."

"Yeah, well if you'd said that to her twenty minutes ago, she'd be coming along too." Haley said quietly.

Nathan, Skills and Mouth all looked at Haley questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked her.

"It's… a long story," Haley said waving it off.

"So what do you guys think?" Mouth said glancing between the faces of his friends and trying to get back to the original issue. "

"Well, I'm staying." Peyton said looking at the uncertain faces of the rest of the group. "Someone has to be here to drive her home when she's discharged, but I agree with Mouth… I think you guys should go."

"When were you thinking of going?" Lucas asked Mouth.

"I don't know," he said. "The sooner the better I suppose. I mean we've got a two hour drive ahead of us..."

"Yeah that's true," Nathan agreed turning towards Peyton. "And besides you said that Brooke's refusing to see anyone at the moment anyway right?"

Peyton nodded in response.

"So are we all agreed?" Mouth asked them.

Nathan and Skills both nodded in response, but Haley and Lucas didn't.

"Maybe I should stay with you?" Haley said quietly to Peyton. "I mean you shouldn't have to wait here on your own…"

"Haley I'll be fine, I promise." Peyton reassured her. "It's only a couple of days before you know it we'll be home."

"Are you sure?" Haley asked her. "I mean I can afford to miss a couple of classes…"

"I'm sure," Peyton said rubbing Haley's arm comfortingly.

Haley placed her hand on top of Peyton's one on her arm and tapped it lightly.

"Ok then," she said before pulling Peyton into a warm hug and adding. "Just make sure you both take care of yourselves."

"I will," Peyton said hugging Haley back.

Once they'd separated, Haley stepped back towards Nathan who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him so the her head was resting on his chest.

Lucas approached Peyton next and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face with his hand.

"Are you sure that you don't want someone else to stay with you and Brooke?" he asked her lovingly.

Peyton smiled at his offer.

"Thanks," Peyton said sincerely. "But we'll be ok."

Lucas watched Peyton closely for a moment before finally nodding his head.

"Ok," he said as he leant down and kissed Peyton affectionately.

Peyton kissed Lucas back deeply for a moment before they finally separated.

Lucas kissed her gently on the forehead before he next spoke.

"Call me later," he said.

"Yeah I will," Peyton reassured him as Lucas stepped back away from her.

"Tell Brooke we're thinking of her," Mouth said to Peyton as the others began to make their way down the corridor.

"Of course," Peyton said smiling back at him.

Mouth smiled back at Peyton in response and turned to follow the others.

Peyton watched as they disappeared out of view, Lucas and Haley pausing briefly before they vanished around a corner and out of sight. Once they'd all gone Peyton turned back towards Brooke's room.

She noticed that the doctor was no longer working at the desk and decided to take this opportunity to go in and see Brooke, whether she wanted the company or not.

**(Intensive Care Unit)**

As Peyton entered the room, she noticed that Brooke was once again lying back in bed, her oxygen mask once again covering her as she slept.

Peyton closed the door quietly before making her way over to her friend and standing beside her bed.

For a couple of minutes Peyton just stood there watching Brooke, not sure if she should wake her or not.

Slowly Peyton sat beside Brooke's bed in one of the chairs positioned there and continued to watch her friend as she debated what she should do next. However, the decision was soon taken out of her hands when she heard Brooke speak beside her.

"You know," Brooke began her voice muffled by the oxygen mask, which was covering it. "It's kind of off-putting to have someone watch you sleep."

"It's a good thing that you're not sleeping then." Peyton said smiling as Brooke opened her eyes slightly to look at her.

"I knew I couldn't trust that doctor to keep you outside," Brooke said tiredly. "You're extremely sneaky when you want to be P. Sawyer…"

Peyton laughed slightly at Brooke's words.

"Yeah well I learnt from the best," Peyton said in response.

"I'm not going to argue with that," Brooke said tiredly as she added. "So where are you hiding the others?"

"They just left," Peyton, informed Brooke, who once again opened her eyes to look at her. "They're on their way back to Tree Hill."

"About time," Brooke said laughing slightly. "I thought that I'd never get rid of them."

"Well, as much as they hated admitting it, you were right." Peyton said laughing. "Besides I think the prospect of school seemed more entertaining then sitting here and talking to you."

"Hey," Brooke complained playfully. "My conversations are highly entertaining thank you very much."

Peyton laughed and reached out to take Brooke's hand in her own.

Brooke winced at the touch causing Peyton to relax her hold a little.

"I'm sorry," Peyton said quickly. "Was I holding it too tight?"

"Uh… no." Brooke said softly looking at Peyton. "You just caught my cannula that's all. It's a little sore."

Peyton didn't say anything in response, instead wondering to herself whether she confront Brooke about what had happened before and risk her closing off again.

"So…" Peyton pressed hesitantly breaking the sudden silence that had fallen over them. "Are you going to tell me what happened earlier… or do I have to guess?"

"I don't know…" Brooke said teasingly. "I mean the last time I told someone to guess it didn't end so well for me."

"In that case," Peyton said smiling. "It'll probably be better for you if you just told me."

Brooke shifted her position slightly so she was facing Peyton a little more before speaking.

"What do I get in return for my honesty?" Brooke asked playfully.

"You know," Peyton said watching Brooke closely. "You seem a lot happier than when I last saw you, did the doctors give you something?"

"Only some more painkillers," Brooke said smiling at Peyton. "You didn't answer my question you know? What's in this for me?"

"How about I promise not to slap you across the back of the head?" Peyton offered.

Brooke pretended to consider the offer for a moment before answering.

"No deal." She said finally. "Come on P. Sawyer, it's going to have to be better than that."

"Ok," Peyton said in response. "How about the fact that you finally get to be honest about how you're feeling and stop acting like a tough Brookie?"

"How long have you been waiting to use that?" Brooke asked smiling.

"It just came to me," Peyton said laughing.

Brooke watched Peyton closely for a moment struggling with whether or not to share her feelings.

"Come on Brooke, would you talk to me? _Please_?" Peyton said rubbing her hand.

Brooke sighed for a moment before nodding.

"Fine," she said sadly. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll talk to you."

Peyton smiled sorrowfully at Brooke.

"Brooke, this isn't about me feeling better." Peyton explained to her friend. "It's about you."

"That's the thing," Brooke said to Peyton honestly. "I don't feel like this is about me. I don't care if I feel better or not because I don't think that I should. I mean ill you know? I shouldn't be feeling well."

Brooke paused for a moment before continuing.

"I make decisions on how I think they'll affect other people, not because it's what I want. I stayed here because I saw how upset you were about me wanting to leave, even though deep down I wanted to more than anything."

"Brooke…" Peyton said pulling her friend into a warm embrace.

"Peyton don't feel guilty about it," Brooke interrupted her. "I know I was acting a little crazy before and I'm sorry if I upset you…it's just that…I feel as though I'm losing control of my life. Like everyone is telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing."

Peyton wiped at Brooke's cheek as she started to cry.

"I guess what it all comes down to is that I'm scared Peyton." Brooke confessed. "It just seems like my whole life is slipping away from me and no matter how much I try to hold onto it, I can't… and if that's the case, then I want to enjoy as much of it as I can… _whilst I can._ I don't want to be stuck in a hospital, missing out on spending time with my friends and the people that I care about…"

"Ah Brooke," Peyton sighed as she felt tears forming in her own eyes now. "I get that ok, I do…but you have to be sensible about this. As much as you don't want them to, things are going to change…but that's life…you know? It's always changing, whether you're ill or not…you just have to change with it."

Peyton paused for an instant to brush the side of Brooke's face gently with her hand.

"It can't stop you from doing the things that you love, if you don't let it Brooke. Obviously you might have to slow things down a bit …but you normally function at 100mph anyway so you can afford to." Peyton said laughing slightly.

Brooke smiled at Peyton and pulled her into another warm embrace.

"I'm glad you didn't listen to me when I said I didn't want to see anyone," Brooke said sincerely.

""Well," Peyton said over Brooke's shoulder. "I thought it was the least I could do after all the times you ignored me when I didn't want to talk and told you to go away."

"What was I supposed to do?" Brooke asked laughing. "Leave you alone to brood, I mean you're my ho, I couldn't do that…"

Peyton laughed.

"Yeah well, ditto." Peyton said smiling. "Because you're my ho too B. Davis."


	9. Chapter 9

**(Tree Hill: Outside Karen's Café)**

After a two hour-long journey back from Honeygrove, Lucas finally pulled his car up in front of his mom's café until it came to an eventual halt.

Once the car was stationary, the back passenger side door opened and Haley stepped onto the sidewalk beside the car. She stretched momentarily before turning around slowly to face the others as they too exited.

"Remind me never to go on a road trip with you guys again," Haley said as Lucas walked around the car towards her.

"Oh come on Hales," Lucas said laughing slightly. "It wasn't that bad."

"Are you serious?" Haley asked teasingly. "Skills and Mouth were asleep for the entire ride home and I had to listen to the pair of you," she said pointing with her hand between Lucas and Nathan. " Upfront singing that awful holiday song for the whole journey."

Haley paused for a moment before adding as an after thought, "Peyton and Brooke are _so_ much more entertaining than all four of you put together."

"Gee thanks Hales," Lucas said playfully as he laughed. "It's nice to know that you enjoy our company."

"Yeah," Nathan joined in as he wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders. "Besides our singing wasn't that bad."

Haley looked between Nathan and Lucas before responding.

"Please," she said sarcastically. "I was just about ready to gouge my eyes out with a spoon…"

Both Lucas and Nathan looked at Haley with confused expressions on their faces.

"Why?" Lucas asked her after a moment. "I mean…just…why? Why would you do that?"

"Well," Haley said teasingly. "It was the only thing I could think of that would be more painful then having to listen to the two of you singing."

"Ouch," Lucas said placing his hand on his chest and feigning insult. "Knocking my singing ability…now that's low…even for you Hales."

"Oh shut up," Haley said hitting him playfully on the arm and causing Lucas to laugh.

"Hey," Lucas protested as the door to the café opened.

At the sudden disturbance behind them, the group looked towards the café to find Karen standing in the entrance.

Lucas smiled at his mom as she made her way down the stairs towards them and embraced her son in a warm embrace.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Karen said pulling away from Lucas and turning to embrace Haley. "When Lucas called me last night, I thought that you were all staying at the hospital with Brooke."

Karen released Haley from her grasp and looked between the faces of the group before her.

"How is she?" Karen asked, motherly concern evident in her voice.

"She's doing a lot better this morning," Lucas informed his mom reassuringly. "She's awake now, so she told us all to come home."

Lucas read his mom's questioning expression and added, "Peyton's staying there with her."

Karen nodded in response, a small smile on her face. Although she wouldn't say anything, Lucas could tell that his mom was still worried about Brooke. The pair of them had become close ever since Brooke had moved in with Karen following the relocation of her parents last year. Since Lucas and Brooke had broken up, she hadn't seen much of his mom, however Lucas knew that Karen still liked to watch over her, as she did subconsciously with the majority of his close friends.

"You look hungry," Karen, said matter of factly and smiling at the youngsters. "Why don't you come inside and I'll fix you something to eat."

"Thanks mom," Lucas said smiling at her before she began making her way back into the café, Nathan, Haley and Skills following behind her.

Mouth stopped in his tracks as he walked up alongside Lucas and turned to face his friend. Lucas reached into his jacket pocket and removed his set of keys. Mouth watched as Lucas removed two keys from his chain and held them out in front of him.

"Do you know what to do?" Lucas asked him, the keys hovering above Mouth's open hand.

Mouth nodded in response.

"Yeah," he said as Lucas placed the two keys into Mouths palm and closed his hand around it.

"When you've finished," Lucas begun calmly. "Text my cell and I'll meet you and Abby down at the river court, ok?"

"Sure," Mouth said as Lucas removed his hand from around Mouths and began to make his way towards the café.

Mouth looked at the keys in his hand for a moment before calling after Lucas.

"Hey Luke," he called quickly before Lucas disappeared inside. "How far do you want me to go with this?"

Lucas turned back to face Mouth and smiled.

"All the way Mouth," he said in response before turning around and disappearing inside.

Mouth watched after him for a moment as he approached the counter and took a seat beside Nathan. For an instant Mouth glanced down at the keys in his hand and smiled to himself. As he began to make his way down the street and away from the café, Mouth threw the keys up into the air slightly as he smiled before catching them again and placing them in his pocket.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

For the majority of the last two hours since Lucas and the others had left, Brooke had been sleeping. Peyton used this opportunity to go to the cafeteria quickly and get herself something to eat. At first Peyton was reluctant to leave Brooke, however, she'd not eaten since the previous day causing her body to call out for nourishment. In the end Peyton had relented, and left Brooke alone in the hopes that she could return before her friend woke up and realised she had left.

Not only did Peyton not want Brooke to think that she'd abandoned her, but felt guilty that she was able to eat whilst Brooke wasn't. Brooke's nausea meant that at present she was unable to keep anything down long enough for her to digest it and so she was presently starving.

When Peyton returned to Brooke's room, she'd found her friend still fast asleep and had once again taken her seat beside the hospital bed. For a while Peyton had sat watching Brooke and recalling memories the two of them had shared together. However, this had only lasted briefly and soon enough Peyton had once again drifted into sleep.

The next time Peyton woke, she was surprised to find not only that she'd been sleeping for the last two and a half hours, but also that Brooke was now awake and watching her from her position in bed.

Peyton smiled at Brooke as she stretched in her seat.

"How long have you been watching me exactly?" Peyton asked as she leant forward and rested her elbows on the edge of Brooke's bed, yawning slightly as she settled herself into her new position.

"About half an hour," Brooke answered smiling at Peyton.

"You didn't think to wake me up?" Peyton asked as she started tracing a line on Brooke's arm.

Brooke reached over with her other hand and placed it on top of Peyton's before responding.

"Well, I thought you could probably use the sleep." Brooke said seriously.

"Thanks," Peyton said taking Brooke's hand in hers and smiling at her friend.

Brooke nodded at Peyton a small smile on her face.

"What about you?" Peyton asked Brooke shaking her friends hand in her own slightly. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"A little," Brooke said looking at her hand in Peyton's.

Peyton noticed the expression on Brooke's face and looked at her with concern.

"Hey Brooke," Peyton began quietly. "Are you ok?"

Brooke looked up at Peyton and smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "I was just thinking that's all."

"B. Davis thinking?" Peyton asked jokingly as she laughed. "This should be interesting…although you know" she continued teasingly. "You might want to take it easy on the thinking for a while…I mean your brain could barely cope with that before last night, so imagine the extra strain your placing it under now it's injured."

Brooke laughed at Peyton's words and hit her gently on the arm causing her to release her grip of Brooke's hand.

"P.Sawyer," Brooke moaned playfully as she pouted exaggeratedly. "It is so not fair to make fun of me when I'm ill. I mean there are lines you know?"

Peyton pouted back at Brooke before laughing.

"Ok," Peyton said after a moment. "I'm sorry. I promise not to make fun of you until we're in the car on the journey home."

Peyton winked at Brooke causing her friend to laugh.

"That's all I ask," Brooke, said a huge grin spreading across her face.

"So," Peyton began seriously again. "What were you thinking about before?"

Brooke looked at Peyton closely for a moment before answering.

"I was just thinking that maybe when we get back to Tree Hill we could do something…" Brooke said hesitantly.

"O…K…" Peyton said knowingly. "What sort of something are we talking about here? Am I going to end up in jail again?"

Brooke laughed as she began fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Peyton watched Brooke as she did this, a questioning expression on her face.

"No nothing like that," Brooke said looking up to meet Peyton's gaze whilst continuing to play with her hands in her lap.

"Please tell me that you're not suggesting we have a party." Peyton said trying to guess what Brooke was implying.

"Eurgh," Brooke said screwing up her face slightly. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this but after last night I'd be quite happy never to look at another drink again."

"Ok then," Peyton said in defeat. "So what exactly is it that you want to do?"

"Well, I was thinking," Brooke begun hesitantly. "I mean…if you want to…maybe we could have a duvet day or something?"

Peyton looked at Brooke curiously.

"A duvet day?" she asked. "Wait…that's it? No wild adventure, no illegal activity of any kind?"

Brooke smiled at Peyton and nodded.

"That's right." Brooke said smiling as she watched Peyton's reaction before glancing back down at her hands in her lap.

"So you just want to lay in bed all day, watching DVD's and binging on junk food?" Peyton asked checking that she'd heard Brooke properly.

"Yeah," Brooke said as she looked up from her lap to meet Peyton's gaze and continued. "I mean so much has happened these last couple of days…I just want to enjoy some time without any drama, you know? To be friends again…. and just…hang out like we used to."

Peyton felt herself smile at Brooke's words.

"So what do you think?" Brooke asked Peyton. "I know it's not exactly what we've been used to lately…"

"It sounds like a great idea," Peyton interrupted as she smiled.

"Really?" Brooke asked uncertainly. "We don't have to if…"

"I do," Peyton cut her off, knowing what she'd been about to say. "Really Brooke, I want to. I think it's just what we need."

Both girls smiled at each other, Peyton reaching out and taking Brooke's hand in her own before squeezing it tightly. Just as Peyton was about to say something further the door to Brooke's room opened and the doctor stepped in.

Peyton and Brooke both looked at him as he closed the door behind him and walked to the opposite side of the bed to where Peyton was sitting.

"Miss Davis," he said kindly as he approached the phone mounted on the nearby wall and removed the receiver, stretching the coil so that he could hold it out for Brooke to take. "You have a phone call."

Brooke looked between the faces of both Peyton and the doctor before glancing questioningly back at the phone.

"Really?" she asked slightly puzzled as to who could be calling her.

"Really," the doctor answered smiling. "Looks like your parents finally picked up their messages."

"My parents?" Brooke asked stunned, her voice breaking slightly.

"Yeah," the doctor said kindly resting an arm on Brooke's shoulder for comfort. "They're calling from California."

Brooke looked at the phone in shock for a moment before reaching out hesitantly to take it in her hand and press her ear against it.

The doctor pressed the button for line two on the wall unit, connecting the call before smiling at Peyton and once again leaving the room.

Brooke pulled the oxygen mask off her face so that it was draped around her neck before finally finding her voice and speaking into the receiver in her hand.

"Hello?" Brooke asked quietly, her voice hoarse with emotion.

Peyton watched Brooke closely as she listened for a moment and saw tears forming in her friends eyes.

After a brief moment, Brooke put her hand up to her mouth for an instant before she started crying.

"Mom?" Brooke managed to get out after a minute whilst meeting Peyton's gaze.

Peyton smiled at Brooke, squeezing her hand reassuringly in her own as she listened into the receiver and smiled.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

After entering the café, Lucas, Haley, Nathan and Skills had taken a seat up at the counter talking whilst Karen prepared them something to eat.

During quiet moments, when she was not needed to serve customers, Karen had leant against the counter in front of the group of friends and asked them all about their trip.

The four of them had recalled the events of the last twenty-four hours, discussing with Karen how they'd found Mouth in Honeygrove with Rachel, run into Chris Keller and attended the Honeygrove prom.

After about half an hour, Skills stood up from his chair at the counter and made his goodbyes to the others, thanking Karen for his food as he left to meet Bevin. Haley, Nathan and Lucas watched as Skills left before turning back to face his mom, who was still leaning against the counter in front of them.

After a minute Lucas spoke.

"So," he began hesitantly. "How was dinner with Dan last night?"

Karen had already told Lucas yesterday that Dan would be coming over for dinner whilst he was in Honeygrove, however, he wanted to find out how it'd gone. The thought of his mom getting closer to Dan, especially after what he'd discovered about him, was difficult for Lucas to stomach. The only thing that was keeping him from breaking the news to his mom was the fact that he'd not yet spoken to Abby, however, after his meeting with her and Mouth at the river court, all that would change.

As much as he knew how much this news would upset his mom, Lucas thought that it was about time she knew the truth about Dan before their relationship turned into something more. It was time that his mother knew what a lying murderer Dan Scott really was.

Watching the pair of them together yesterday after Dan had dropped Karen off at the café had angered Lucas, especially after Dan had appeared with Karen at Keith's grave. He'd found it disrespectful that Dan could even bring himself to visit Keith's knowing that he'd been the one to put him there, that he'd been the reason his brother's life had been taken from him. Then again, Lucas was sure that Dan Scott didn't know the meaning of the word respect. After all he'd never shown it to another human being other than himself.

Lucas smiled slightly to himself, knowing that at this moment, Mouth was continuing with their plan to expose Dan for the person that he really was.

Karen smiled at Lucas' question as she wiped down the counter in front of her.

"Actually," she answered him breaking Lucas from his thoughts. "I had a really nice evening."

"I'm glad," Lucas said trying to show sincerity.

The truth was Lucas was happy that his mom had some adult company to spend her time with. He just wished that her company were someone other than Dan.

Karen leant her elbows on the counter to look closely at Lucas and sighed.

"Lucas I know that you're not really comfortable with my friendship with Dan and that you don't really trust him…" Karen began trying to reassure her son.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again." Lucas interrupted her honestly.

Karen placed her hand on top of her son's as she continued.

"I know," she said understandingly. "But I honestly believe that Dan's changed. He's been a really good friend to me since we lost Keith. I'm not asking you to like him, I just think that maybe you should give him a chance…"

Lucas smiled slightly at his mom and placed his other hand on top of hers.

"Just be careful, ok?" Lucas asked her.

"I will," Karen said as she approached a customer waiting at the counter for some service.

Nathan watched Lucas closely as his mom left before speaking.

"You know Luke," Nathan began. "Maybe your mom's right about Dan. I mean look at what he did for me after the whole Dante thing. He was willing to go to jail for something that I did…"

"But Nathan you didn't kill Dante," Lucas interrupted his brother as he remembered the results of the coroners report.

"Yeah, I know that." Nathan agreed. "But at the time Dan didn't. Perhaps he really has changed. Maybe losing Keith made him re-evaluate his life…I don't know."

"Maybe he has a guilty conscious." Lucas said as he watched Nathan closely.

"Maybe," Nathan agreed. "I mean he's not a saint Lucas, but are any of us? Besides," Nathan added, "he seems to make your mom happy."

Lucas sighed as he looked between Haley and Nathan.

"Yeah I know," Lucas said watching his mom for a moment before continuing. "And I want that for her, I just…I don't trust him."

Nathan was about to say something when the door to the café opened and none other than Dan walked in. The three teenagers watched as he approached the counter, Lucas glaring at him intensely and causing Dan to avoid his gaze.

On noticing his entrance, Karen walked over towards the youngsters to speak to him.

"Hi Dan," Karen said as he reached them. "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Thanks Karen," Dan answered her, his mind seemingly occupied by something else. "But I'm not staying. I just came in to talk to Nathan for a moment."

"Ok," Karen said smiling as she went to bust one of the recently vacated tables.

Nathan turned to face his dad and noticed a look of concern on his fathers face.

"How did you know I was back?" Nathan asked his dad puzzled.

"I was passing," Dan explained avoiding the intense stare from Lucas. "And I noticed Lucas' car parked outside…so I came in on the off chance."

Dan paused for a moment swallowing hard before continuing.

"Have you been home yet?" he asked concern on his face.

"No why?" Nathan asked confused. "What's going on? Is mom ok?"

"She's fine," Dan reassured his son.

Dan hadn't spoken to Deb properly since she'd returned from rehab, however, he knew enough to know that she was doing well.

"Then what is it?" Nathan asked glancing at Haley and noticing her questioning expression.

"Bear's gone public," Dan said quickly as he noticed the expression on Nathan's face change to one of shock.

"What does that mean?" Nathan asked astounded.

"It means that you're now officially under investigation for point-shaving Nathan." Dan said seriously. "If you're found guilty, you could lose everything."

Nathan glanced between Haley and Lucas as Haley reached for his hand and wrapped hers around it supportively. Nathan noticed the look of concern on Lucas' face before turning to face Dan once again.

"What am I going to do Dad?" he asked finally.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

Peyton had sat and watched silently as Brooke spoke to her mom on the phone, her hand wrapped comfortingly around her friends throughout the conversation.

As she watched, Peyton couldn't help but smile at her friend, although Brooke was crying throughout the majority of the conversation, Peyton knew that they were tears of joy rather than sadness.

Peyton knew how difficult it was being alone whilst her dad was away at sea. She understood the loneliness that can set in. However, Peyton also realised that she had one thing with her dad that Brooke didn't with her parents. Contact.

It didn't matter how short or insignificant that contact was, whether a quick text message to her cell phone or a chat via webcam, at least Peyton had that. Just those brief interactions which told her that he was thinking about her, that he missed her and couldn't wait to see her again soon.

Peyton and Brooke had only just reaffirmed their friendship, but Peyton could tell from Brooke's reaction to her mothers phone call that she didn't have that. That this one phone call meant more to her than anything else possibly could at that moment. Peyton knew how Brooke felt about her parents, how their lack of interest in her life made her doubt the person that she was, made her question whether she was good enough for them or if who she was disappointed them.

In fact, Peyton had always believed that's why Brooke had acted the way she did, why she'd chosen the lifestyle she had, drinking at an early age, experimenting with drugs and sleeping with anyone who showed the least bit of interest in her. Peyton knew that Brooke wasn't really like that. That deep down all she really wanted was for someone to show her that they cared about her.

However, Brooke's parents never did. Peyton knew that Brooke only acted how she did because she was testing them, trying to elicit a response from her parents', good or bad. In Brooke's eyes, even negative attention was better than nothing. At least that would show that they worried about her going off the rails, that they cared that she might end up throwing her life away.

Any attention in Brooke's eyes was better than the apathy, which she seemed to receive from them, the indifference to her and everything that she did.

Peyton had listened closely as Brooke had approached the difficult part of the conversation, as she'd attempted to break the news of her condition to her mother. Whether because Brooke was scared of upsetting her or because she was worried that once again her mother would show the same lack of interest that she was used to, Brooke suddenly stopped, her voice breaking.

At the sudden cessation in the conversation, Peyton had looked at Brooke sympathetically. Brooke sat on the bed, her eyes closed as she tried to summon up the strength to break the news to her mom, to tell her that she had cancer.

Peyton could see the silent struggle going on in Brooke's mind, and wished that there was something she could do to help her, god knows Peyton couldn't imagine how she'd ever break news of something like that to her father.

In the end all Peyton did was squeeze Brooke's hand supportively, causing her friend to look at her, pain evident behind her eyes.

Peyton smiled at her friend reassuringly before reaching up a hand and wiping at Brooke's tears from her cheek.

Brooke threw Peyton a small smile before closing her eyes and sighing heavily.

"Mom," Brooke began tentatively. "There's something that I need to tell you…"

Brooke swallowed hard as she listened to the sound of her mothers breathing on the other end of the phone, waiting patiently for Brooke to continue.

"I…listen mom…I've…I mean…" Brooke stuttered incomprehensibly.

Peyton rubbed Brooke's arm again, silently letting her know that whatever happens now, she'd be there for her.

Brooke shook her head slowly from side to side and was just about to speak again when she heard her mothers voice over the line.

"Brooke?" she asked concern evident in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Mom," Brooke tried again. "I don't…I don't really know how to tell you this?"

"Tell me what Brooke?" Her mom asked quickly, obviously worried. "You sounded upset in your message earlier, what's going on sweetheart? You can tell me?"

Brooke wiped at her eyes as she felt fresh tears form once again. She couldn't remember the last time her mom had referred to her using affectionate names such as sweetheart, and hearing it now only made it that much harder for Brooke to tell her.

"Brooke?" Her mothers voice came again, a little more urgency in her voice.

"Mom," Brooke started, fighting with herself internally. "Mom…I've…"

Brooke sighed heavily before finally managing to say.

"I've got cancer…"

For a moment Peyton watched Brooke closely as she listened into the receiver of the phone, waiting for a sign from Brooke that her parent's weren't in fact the complete jerks they'd always proved themselves to be.

Brooke listened to what seemed like never ending silence over the phone, wondering to herself for a moment if her mom had disconnected the call.

"Mom?" Brooke asked, her voice quiet and hoarse with emotion, almost pleading for some sort of reaction. "Mom…are you still there?"

Peyton closed her eyes a moment on hearing Brooke's words not realising that she was holding her breath in a silent prayer for Brooke's mom to answer her.

"Mom?" Brooke sobbed again after another couple of minutes of silence had passed.

Peyton let out her breath and looked up to see Brooke's devastated expression. Slowly Peyton stood from her chair and kissed Brooke comfortingly on the forehead, pulling her friend into her arms as she continued to hold the phone up to her ear in hope.

As far as Brooke could tell the call was still connected, the absence of a dial tone on the line, informing her of this fact.

"Please…" Brooke pleaded. "Mom…if you're there…please…say something…"

"Brooke…" her mom's voice finally came over the phone.

On hearing her mom's voice Brooke could tell that she was crying, the sounds of tears evident in her voice. Hearing her mom respond combined with the knowledge that she was upset was too much for Brooke to bear and she finally broke down into tears, Peyton's arms wrapping themselves around her tightly.

"Mom…I'm so sorry…I didn't want to tell you like this…I just…I miss you so much…and I just really needed to talk to you…"

"Oh, sweetheart," came her mothers emotional voice once again.

Her mother paused for a moment as though composing herself before continuing.

"I'm going to come down there…. ok?" Her mom asked. "I'll catch the first flight that I can…"

"You don't have to do that…" Brooke interrupted her. "I know you're busy…I just… I wanted to hear your voice…"

"No…" her mother said. "This is more important than anything else Brooke…you're more important…I'm coming…ok?"

Brooke rubbed at her eyes roughly as she felt herself smile slightly.

"Ok," she just about managed to get out, her voice barely audible amidst the tears.

"I'll see you soon sweetheart…" her mom said sadly.

Brooke nodded despite the fact that she knew that her mother could not see the gesture.

"I love you mom," Brooke said as she struggled to get a hold of her emotions.

"I love you too sweetheart," he mom responded sincerely before disconnecting the call.

Brooke listened to the dial tone on the end of the line before dropping the phone into her lap and breaking down into tears once more. On seeing her friends' distress, Peyton pulled Brooke into a warm embrace, stroking the back of her head comfortingly as Brooke sobbed into her chest.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

"_**What am I going to do?" Nathan asked finally.**_

Dan moved closer to his son for a moment so that their faces were inches apart.

"Nothing Nathan, you're going to do nothing. Otherwise…" Dan whispered into his son's ear. "You'll risk losing everything. Do you understand? Everything."

"But Dad," Nathan said worriedly. "Bears gone public, this isn't going to go away that easily…"

"Deny everything Nathan," Dan said calmly. "It's his word against yours Nathan. No one will believe a low life like him over you."

"You really think it'll be that easy?" Nathan asked Dan.

Dan nodded in response to Nathan's question.

"Just ride it out Nathan," Dan said. "Eventually they'll get bored of looking and move on. Don't do anything stupid and risk throwing your whole future away."

Nathan looked at Dan for a moment before his father turned slowly and began to make his way to the door of the café.

Nathan turned to look at Haley who was wearing a worried expression on her face.

As Dan made his way out of the café, Lucas glanced towards his mom and saw her watching after Dan as he left. A small smile crept onto Lucas' face and he stood up from his seat, turning towards Nathan and Haley.

"Hey guys," he started looking towards the door. "I'll be back in a minute ok?"

Nathan nodded in his seat as Haley responded.

"Yeah ok," she said as Lucas looked back towards them.

Lucas nodded and patted Nathan on the shoulder before walking towards the door and exiting after Dan.

Haley noticed Nathan's sombre expression and squeezed his hand in hers reassuringly before resting her head comfortingly on his shoulder.

Nathan turned his head to look at Haley, concern on his face.

"What am I going to do Hales?" Nathan asked her seriously. "I mean, do you think Dan's right? That if I just ride this out it'll all disappear eventually?"

Haley sighed heavily before answering.

"I don't know Nathan." Haley answered honestly.

"What do you think I should do?" Nathan asked her.

Haley stared out into the space in front of her as she answered him.

"I don't know," she started.

Before she continued, Haley turned to look at Nathan's questioning glance.

"But whatever it is that you decide to do," she carried on. "I'll support you in it. We'll get through this together Nathan ok?" she said rubbing his hand in hers. "We'll get through it together, I know we will."

Nathan smiled worriedly at Haley and nodded slowly. He kissed her gently as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her even closer to him.

Ever since Nathan had helped the Ravens win the championship game and Dante's subsequent death he'd been worried that something would leak out about his involvement with the point shaving scam. At the time he'd always tried to shake that worry off, tried to convince himself that Bear would never go public because it would also implicate himself. He'd pushed it to the back of his mind, trying not to think about what he'd have to do to defend his actions.

Now that it finally become public knowledge however, Nathan didn't know what he was supposed to do. He knew that he'd made a mistake, knew that he was wrong to get involved with Dante and Bear. Nathan was sorry for that, but he had his family to think about now. Although confessing would clear his conscience, it would destroy any hope he had of achieving his dreams, of providing some kind of stable life for his family.

If he did as Dan suggested and denied all involvement, he knew that there was a chance no one would ever know about his role in the scam. His scholarship with Duke would be secure and so would his future and the future of his family. However, Nathan would know. He'd have to live with the knowledge that his life was built on a lie and Nathan wasn't sure that he could deal with the guilt of that.

Nathan felt like he was stuck in a catch twenty-two situation. Whichever way he looked at it he'd lose out. The question he had to answer now was, which of the outcomes was the lesser of two evils? Would he be happy playing college basketball knowing what he compromised to be there? Or would he regret missing out on building a future for his family because he gave in too easily? Because he couldn't ride it out like his father suggested?

Haley watched Nathan as he stared at the counter in front of them clearly deep in thought and she frowned.

She knew deep down that whatever Nathan decided it would be the right thing for him and their family. She trusted him to make the right decision. Haley knew how much basketball meant to Nathan, how hard he'd worked to achieve his dreams of playing college basketball and now there was a chance that it could all be taken from him. They were both so close to achieving their dreams that it was hard to believe that everything could be taken from them.

Haley knew what Nathan had done was wrong, in fact when she'd first learnt of his involvement in the scam she'd been angry and walked out on him. Nathan had made the wrong choice sure, but it was for the right reasons. He'd been trying to support them as a family when they were struggling financially and she could see why he'd chosen the path he had. Haley knew that his motives didn't excuse his actions, but he'd been desperate. What would anyone else have done in the same situation?

Haley sighed heavily as she watched Nathan and squeezed his hand once again reassuringly as he sat deep in thought.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café – Outside)**

Lucas exited the café, the door closing loudly behind him as he stepped out onto the street in pursuit of Dan.

Once he was down the steps, Lucas looked up and down the street trying to catch sight of his dad, finally noticing him a short distance away, as he walked further from the café.

Lucas began to jog in pursuit of Dan as he called after him.

"Dan!" he called as he chased after him. "Hey Dan!"

On hearing his name, Dan stopped in his tracks turning around to see who'd called him. When he noticed Lucas approaching, a look of surprised crossed his face.

"Lucas?" he asked as his son finally caught up with him.

Lucas stopped in front of down, slightly bent over to help him catch his breath.

Dan watched him closely a look of mistrust in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Dan asked finally as Lucas continued to regain his composure.

Finally, Lucas stood up tall in front of Dan.

"I was just wondering what you were doing tonight?" Lucas said matter of factly.

"Oh really?" Dan asked sceptically. "And why would that be?"

"Well," Lucas started as sincerely as possible. "I thought maybe you could come over for dinner with me and my mom later."

Dan watched Lucas silently, his eyes probing Lucas for any sign of deceit.

"You want me to come to dinner?" he asked Lucas slightly amused.

Lucas nodded in response.

"Yeah," he replied. "Mom mentioned what a nice time she had when you came over for dinner last night. I thought that maybe it was about time that I gave you a chance too…you know, for my mums sake."

Lucas paused for a moment before continuing.

"She's been a lot happier lately, mostly because of you and I think that if you're going to be around a lot more, we should probably try and get along."

Dan frowned at Lucas confused before stepping closer towards his son and whispering into his ear threateningly.

"I don't know what you're planning," Dan said harshly. "But I'm warning you Lucas, if you mess with me I won't be held accountable for what happens to you."

Lucas threw Dan a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" he said in response.

Dan grabbed Lucas by the collar of his coat and pulled him nearer whilst staring angrily into his eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me Lucas," Dan hissed between gritted teeth. "I remember what you said when you came to see me in my office after your prom. Believe me when I say that I'll do _whatever_ it takes to make sure that what you know stays hidden. _Whatever_ it takes…do you understand me?"

Lucas looked stunned by Dan's sudden anger and a confused expression crossed his face.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked panicking. "I never saw you after prom."

"Don't lie to me!" Dan spat under his breath. "Don't lie to me Lucas."

"I'm not!" Lucas protested. "I never saw you after prom, I promise! I stayed with Peyton the whole night…"

Dan shook Lucas slightly as he rushed to finish.

"She was attacked…I didn't want to leave her…I swear…I swear…I never saw you after prom…I was with her the whole time." Lucas informed Dan.

Dan looked at Lucas uncertainly.

"You can ask her…" Lucas continued. "She'll tell you…"

Dan released his grip on Lucas' coat and smoothened it out with his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, his mind thinking back to that evening.

Dan frowned again as he tried to recall the events following prom. He'd been so certain that Lucas had come to see him in his office. Certain almost. Thinking back on it now though, Dan couldn't help but think that maybe he'd imagined it. That maybe Lucas was telling the truth.

"I guess I was mistaken." Dan finished looking at Lucas puzzled.

"Are you ok?" Lucas asked him sincerely.

Dan looked at him as he continued to try and recall that night.

"Uh… yeah I'm fine." Dan said thinking.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked watching him closely.

Dan put his hand on Lucas shoulder for a moment, as though to check he was actually standing before him.

"Yeah," he said patting his shoulder and shaking himself slightly.

"So?" Lucas asked still watching Dan closely. "Dinner? Tonight? Do you want to come?"

Dan smiled at Lucas as he patted his shoulder once again.

"Sure," he said nodding slightly.

Lucas smiled at him in return and nodded.

"Great, so I'll see you about eight?" he asked.

"Yeah, ok." Dan agreed. "Eight. I'll see you then."

"Ok," Lucas said as Dan turned around and began walking back towards his office and away from Lucas.

Lucas watched as Dan disappeared into the distance, a small smile creeping onto his face in triumph.


	11. Chapter 11

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

Lucas was feeling a lot more optimistic about his and Mouth's plan to bring down Dan after the conversation with his father only moments ago. As Mouth had pointed out, the plan was risky, very risky, but from Dan's reaction to his lie, Lucas knew that they had one thing working in their favour. The one thing that his whole plan rested on. Guilt.

In Lucas' eyes it had been too easy to convince Dan that he'd not seen him that night following prom, too easy to plant the seed of doubt in Dan's mind that he'd actually been imagining the whole thing. As Lucas watched Dan, he could see the struggle playing in Dan's eyes, could see him trying to recall that night and the conversation that they'd had. He'd seen the uncertainty in Dan's eyes and watched as he'd begun to question his own sanity.

A battle that from Lucas' point of view Dan had lost. Lucas had seen it in that moment as he'd stood facing Dan in the street outside, the belief that perhaps he'd dreamt the whole thing. In Lucas' eyes Dan was definitely feeling guilty and his guilt was the key that Lucas needed to trigger his paranoia.

After Lucas had watched Dan disappear into the distance he turned around and began to make his way back towards his mom's café, where Nathan and Haley were still waiting for him inside.

As he entered his brother and best friend turned to face him, Haley smiling half-heartedly as he approached.

When he reached the counter, Lucas slowly took the empty seat beside Nathan. Haley glanced towards her friend as he sat down, noticing the triumphant expression on his face.

"Why are you so happy?" Haley asked watching Lucas closely. "Where'd you go anyway?"

Lucas met Haley questioning gaze before answering, a smile still spread across his face.

"I went after Dan," Lucas said matter of factly, playing idly with the countertop in front of him with his fingers.

"Really?" Haley asked slightly shocked by Lucas' admission.

"Yeah," Lucas said shrugging. "I figured that you two were right. Dan's been a good friend to my mom since she lost Keith and perhaps he has changed. I decided that maybe it was time I gave him a chance to prove himself, you know get to know him a little bit better, so I invited him over for dinner with us tonight."

"Wow," Haley said whistling.

"What?" Lucas asked her confused.

"Nothing," Haley said frowning slightly. "It's just, when you really put your mind to something you go all out."

"It's only dinner Hales." Lucas said. "It's not like I'm asking him to move in with us or anything."

"I know Lucas," Haley said smiling at her friend. "But this is a really big step for you, especially after everything Dan's done in the past. Are you sure that you're ready for this?"

Lucas considered Haley's question a moment before answering and smiling.

"Yeah I think I am," Lucas answered her as he threw a glance at his brother and asked. "What do you think Nate?" Lucas asked him. "Do you think I'm rushing into this a little?"

Nathan who'd barely been listening to the conversation between Haley and Lucas turned to look at his brother on hearing his question.

"What?" Nathan asked his brother dreamily as he was pulled from the current thoughts troubling him.

"I just wondered whether you thought I was rushing into things by inviting Dan over for dinner with me and my mom tonight?" Lucas asked again, a look of concern on his face as he watched his brother.

Nathan looked at Lucas for a moment, his mind clearly occupied by other worries at present.

"Hey Nate," Lucas asked uneasily. "Are you ok?"

Nathan met his brother's gaze before answering.

"I'm sorry Luke," Nathan apologised. "I guess I've just got other things on my mind right now."

Lucas threw Haley a quick glance before finally addressing Nathan again.

"Uh…listen Nate, I'm sorry I completely forgot…" Lucas said sincerely.

"It's ok" Nathan said smiling at Lucas. "You shouldn't have to worry about this, I mean it's not your problem to deal with…"

"You're my brother," Lucas said patting Nathan on the shoulder lightly with his hand. "Your problems are mine too."

"Thanks," Nathan said gratefully. "But this is my mess. I'm the only person that can fix it."

"What are you going to do?" Lucas asked him curiously.

Nathan glanced at Lucas, uncertainty playing across his expression before throwing a look towards Haley and facing Lucas once more.

"Honestly," Nathan sighed heavily. "I have no idea."

"Well," Lucas said placing his hand on Nathan's shoulder comfortingly. "If you need to talk, you know you can always come to me."

Nathan nodded at Lucas' offer, his hand still in Haley's atop the counter before them. Nathan peered down at the counter as he answered.

"I know," Nathan, said as he looked back up at Lucas. "And I appreciate that."

Nathan glanced at Haley a moment pausing before finally speaking to her.

"But right now I think I'm just going to go for a walk and clear my head a little." He added after a minute.

Haley looked at him concerned.

"You want me to come with you?" she asked squeezing his hand in hers.

Nathan kissed her on the forehead before answering.

"Thanks," he said kindly. "But I'd rather be alone if that's ok."

"Ok," Haley said kissing him lovingly on the lips before he stood up from his seat.

As he turned to leave Nathan squeezed Haley's hand in his and spoke.

"I'll see you a bit later," he said before releasing her hand from his and making his way towards the exit and leaving the café.

Haley glanced towards Lucas and knew that he shared the same worries about Nathan as she did.

Lucas moved into the seat beside Haley and took her hand up comfortingly in his own.

"It'll all work out Hales," Lucas said reassuringly. "You'll see."

Haley looked over her shoulder, towards the door that Nathan had just vanished out of and sighed heavily.

"I hope you're right Lucas." Haley said quietly. "I really hope you're right."

As she turned back towards him, Lucas put his arm around Haley's shoulder and pulled her into a warm embrace, rubbing her arm gently with his hand.

Just as he was about to speak, Lucas heard his cell phone ringing in his pocket and released Haley from his grasp momentarily to answer it.

Haley looked at him questioningly as he looked at the flashing screen before him reading _**Out of Area.**_

"You think that it's Peyton?" Haley asked him, worry suddenly creeping into her voice. "Maybe something has happened to Brooke?"

Lucas put his phone to his ear and connected the call.

"Hello?" he asked tentatively into the phone as he answered it.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

After the phone call with her mother, Brooke had sobbed into Peyton's chest until she exhausted herself. As she'd held Brooke in her arms, Peyton had felt her own tears roll down her cheeks. Seeing Brooke this upset, this broken, hurt Peyton. It reminded her of a couple of nights previously when she'd found Brooke alone in Rachel's house, a half-empty bottle of vodka by her side.

Only a few times in their friendship had Peyton ever seen Brooke so distraught, and the majority of those had been within the last few days. Peyton didn't understand Brooke's pain now though, after all, she'd finally spoken to her mom and told her about the cancer. From what Peyton could gather Brooke's mom was going to come and see her, surely Brooke should be happy.

As Brooke's sobs began to subside, Peyton wanted to ask her about the phone call, and what had caused her to become so upset so that she could comfort and reassure her. However, she knew that if Brooke wanted to share it with her she would, until that time Peyton didn't want to push her.

Peyton had stroked the back of Brooke's head gently as she'd sat silently in her arms, waiting patiently for her friend to say something. After about ten minutes of silence, Brooke had finally looked up to meet Peyton's gaze, wiping at her eyes and smiling slightly.

"I'm sorry," Brooke said feeling embarrassed as she pulled away from Peyton and rested back on the head of the bed.

Peyton rubbed Brooke's arm comfortingly with her hand and smiled at her friend.

"What are you sorry about?" Peyton asked her sincerely. "Brooke you don't need to apologise for anything."

Brooke looked down at her hands for a moment before answering Peyton.

"Peyton, you shouldn't have to see me like this," Brooke said sighing. "I mean look at me… I'm a complete mess."

"Well what's new?" Peyton asked jokingly, nudging Brooke slightly and causing her to laugh. "You're always a mess B. Davis."

"Well thanks," Brooke said looking at Peyton and producing a small smile. "And here I thought you were the messed up one in our friendship."

"Yeah well," Peyton said winking. "I just let you believe that to make yourself feel better."

Brooke hit Peyton playfully on the arm.

"So," Peyton began hesitantly after a while. "What did she say?"

"She's…" Brooke began quietly.

Peyton watched her for a moment a look of concern on her face.

Brooke placed her hand on top of her chest as she tried to speak again.

"Uh…. she's…. uh." Brooke tried again.

"Brooke?" Peyton asked worriedly. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Brooke looked up at Peyton, fear in her eyes as Peyton saw her chest rise and fall rapidly underneath her hand. Brooke shook her head gently from side to side as though to clear it before trying to speak again.

Peyton watched as Brooke opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. At this Peyton reached down and placed the oxygen mask back over Brooke's face and turned to leave the room.

Just as she was about to leave, Peyton felt Brooke grasp her arm tightly, causing her to stop.

Peyton looked at Brooke worriedly and pulled her hand off her arm. Peyton read Brooke's questioning eyes saw the fear behind them and attempted to reassure her.

"Brooke…I'll be right back ok, I need to get you some help. I promise Brooke…I promise…I'll be right back."

Peyton squeezed Brooke's hand gently as she placed it back down onto her lap, avoiding Brooke's terrified gaze as she ran outside to get the doctor.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

_**Just as he was about to speak, Lucas heard his cell phone ringing in his pocket and released Haley from his grasp momentarily to answer it.**_

_**Haley looked at him questioningly as he looked at the flashing screen before him reading Out of Area.**_

"_**You think that it's Peyton?" Haley asked him, worry suddenly creeping into her voice. "Maybe something has happened to Brooke?"**_

_**Lucas put his phone to his ear and connected the call.**_

"_**Hello?" he asked tentatively into the phone as he answered it.**_

"Lucas?" Peyton asked when she heard him speak into the phone.

"Peyton?" Lucas asked sensing the tone of her voice. "What's going on? Is everything ok? Is Brooke ok?"

For a moment Peyton didn't say anything and Lucas felt his breath catch in his throat as he waited for a response. Lucas peered towards Haley and saw that she was watching him intently, her hand placed over her mouth as she leaned on the countertop supported by her elbows.

"Lucas…" Peyton began, and he sensed the emotion in her voice.

"Peyton what happened?" Lucas asked her. "She's ok isn't she? I mean… she was fine when we left earlier…"

"I don't know," Peyton said finally. "I just…they've taken her for some tests…she's not back yet…"

Haley was watching closely as Lucas spoke, and he read the expression on her face as she reached comfortingly for his free hand.

"Peyton," Lucas said more calmly then he was feeling. "What happened to Brooke?"

As Lucas had said this, Karen approached her son and noticed the concerned expressions on both his and Haley's faces.

"What's going on?" Karen asked Haley quickly.

Haley shrugged as she looked at Karen.

"I don't know," Haley said anxiously. "It's Peyton, I think something's happened to Brooke…"

As Peyton next spoke Lucas looked between his mom and Haley who were both sitting and watching him closely.

"Lucas…I… I don't know… one minute we were talking…and then…I don't know what happened…it was like she couldn't talk… couldn't breathe."

"What did the doctors say?" Lucas asked Peyton quickly.

"Nothing," Peyton responded. "They just…they told me to wait outside…and then…then they took her somewhere."

"Peyton, I'm going to come up and see you…" Lucas said standing from his seat.

Haley and Karen looked up at Lucas worriedly, Haley standing up as well.

"No," Peyton interrupted him. "Lucas, honestly don't do that. I just…I thought you should know what's going on."

"Peyton," Lucas protested. "You shouldn't be there alone right now. Someone should be with you."

"Lucas…" Peyton began to argue.

Lucas listened to the phone for a moment waiting for Peyton to continue. When she didn't he spoke into the phone again.

"Peyton?" he asked concerned. "Are you still there?"

As Lucas spoke, Peyton watched from the payphone as Brooke was taken back to her room, her doctor throwing Peyton an unreadable look as he entered behind her bed.

"Lucas they've just bought her back." Peyton said quickly into the receiver. "I'm going to have to go…"

"Peyton," Lucas said hurriedly before she could disconnect the call. "Call me once you know anything, ok?"

"I will," Peyton said into the phone. "I love you."

Lucas closed his eyes as he answered honestly.

"I Love you too, Peyton." He replied.

Lucas heard the dial tone come over the line and sighed heavily as he pressed end on his phone.

Both Haley and Karen looked at him expectantly.

"What's going on?" Haley asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Lucas said glancing between his mom and Haley. "Peyton just said that one minute they were talking and the next thing she knew, Brooke couldn't speak or breathe. The doctors made her wait outside before they took Brooke off somewhere."

"But she's ok?" Karen asked concerned.

Lucas shrugged as he quietly responded.

"The doctors just bought Brooke back, Peyton's going to call as soon as she knows anything." Lucas informed them.

For a moment the three of them sat in silence, waiting hopefully for Peyton to call Lucas back with an update on Brooke's condition.

Suddenly Lucas cell phone chimed in his hand, causing the three of them to jump slightly in surprise.

Lucas looked at the screen.

_**1 New Text Message**_

Lucas opened the message and saw that it was from Mouth. He glanced up at his mom and Haley who were still looking at him carefully.

"It's a text message from Mouth," Lucas said informatively.

Lucas looked back down at the cell phone in his hand and read the message he'd just received.

_**Job done. Abby is in. Will meet you ASAP at the river court with her. Mouth**_

Lucas looked up at the faces of his mom and Haley.

"Look," he started hesitantly. "I have to go and meet Mouth down at the river court…"

"What about Brooke?" Haley asked him concerned. "Peyton could phone back any minute."

Lucas looked at Haley torn. Of course he was worried about Brooke, but he needed to speak to Mouth and Abby about Dan. He needed to find out exactly what Abby had seen the day of the shooting, needed to hear it from her own mouth. But what if something happened to Brooke and Peyton called?

Lucas closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair quickly as he tried to decide what he should do, trapped between his worry for Brooke and finally hearing the truth about Keith's death that day. He knew Haley was worried, that she'd want to hear how Brooke was. Therefore he couldn't leave her to wonder what had happened whilst he went to see Mouth.

Then again, however, Lucas couldn't ask Haley to come to the river court with him. The last thing that he needed right now was to get someone else involved in his plan.

Lucas looked between the café door, Haley and his mom, before finally coming to a decision.


	12. Chapter 12

**(Tree Hill: River Court)**

After Nathan had left Haley and Lucas at the café, he'd found himself wandering the streets of Tree Hill, finally ending up sitting alone of a bench at the river court as he went over his past choices in his mind. As he sat there Nathan wondered what he'd do if he could go back now, would he change those decisions or would he end up making them all over again?

Looking back, Nathan didn't believe that he would have done anything differently. If faced with the same situation again, he felt that he'd still decide to do what he'd considered right for his family at the time. What he and Haley had needed back then was money and that was what Dante had offered to him, what Nathan had willingly accepted from him.

The problem with looking back on scenarios such as this was that Nathan now had a completely different perspective. Initially when he'd first met Dante and Bear, Nathan had been naïve, something that he was willing to admit to. On his first encounter with the pair of loan sharks, they had seemed genuine and friendly causing Nathan no reason to doubt their motives.

However, he'd soon learnt that everything comes at a price, and maybe he'd been foolish back then not to realise that beforehand. The truth was that Dante and Bear had helped Nathan out of his financial crisis, but thinking about that now he knew the cost had been more than even he could have anticipated.

During his dealings with Dante, Nathan had almost lost everything. Lucas didn't trust him, didn't respect him for trying to throw the state championship and pay off his debts. In fact, Lucas had not taken his HCM medication because he was determined that Nathan wouldn't succeed, that the Ravens would win. Lucas had wanted to be on top of his game whilst he played, to make up for the fact that Nathan wasn't. Nathan couldn't help but feel guilty that his brother had almost died as a result. That Lucas' decision not to take his HCM medication could've killed him.

Then there was Haley. Nathan had lied to her among other people, regarding his involvement with Dante. Nathan had hidden his problems from Haley in an attempt to protect her, something that had almost ended in tragedy and cost Haley her life in addition to Lucas'.

Nathan's decision to help Lucas win the state championship had resulted in Dante owing a lot of people money, something that had caused him to set in motion the events that were to follow later that night, when he'd run Haley down with his car in an attempt to kill Nathan.

Haley had been badly injured following the accident, and as a result Nathan and her had almost lost their unborn child. Again, Nathan's guilt at what had happened to Haley and their baby weighed heavily on his mind as he remembered how one decision could have changed his life forever.

Had Nathan realised before he first got involved with Dante that events would have unfolded as they did. He would never have accepted his money. Losing Haley and his child was too high a price to pay for stability financially. As Nathan sat remembering the accident, he couldn't help but think about Dante. Although he had bad feeling towards the man, he couldn't help but remember what he'd lost as a result of his dealings with Nathan. If Dante had known that he'd have lost his life, would he still have approached Nathan and asked him to participate in the point shaving scam?

As much as he'd wanted to, Nathan couldn't answer that question. As he sat there on the bench beside the river court, he glanced up towards the basketball hoop not far away.

For so long, this game had been his life, his whole life. He remembered how his dad had pushed him to be the best. How he'd become overbearing to a point that Nathan had no longer wished to play. As he sat there, Nathan also remembered how Dan had almost lost his freedom following Dante's crash. How he'd attempted to make up for his past mistakes by covering for Nathan.

His dad had changed a lot recently and as far as Nathan could see it was for the better.

A lot of people had been hurt as a result of Nathan's involvement with Dante and Bear. Nathan had almost lost everything, his wife, his unborn son, his brother and his father all in one go.

Nathan continued to stare at the hoop nearby, thinking about how at one point the game had been his life and how that had all changed the day he met Haley. She'd shown him that there was more to life than basketball, more to himself than just a player. Haley had shown Nathan how to be someone that he was proud of, someone that he could be happy with.

When him and Haley had started dating, Nathan had seen that there was more to life than basketball and soon she became his life, his whole life.

Thinking about the decision that stood before him now, Nathan felt that it really didn't seem that hard a choice to make.

Playing basketball for Duke was his dream, his ambition in life. But Haley was his life, her and their son. Nathan wanted to be the person that Haley had seen when they first got together, wanted to be the man that she knew he could be. Nathan wanted to be someone that she was proud of, someone that he could be proud of.

Sure Nathan could ride this out, pretend that he'd not been involved at all, but he didn't think his conscience would let him. The chances were that Nathan would lose his scholarship following his admission of guilt and he was surprisingly ok with that. He had a child to think about now, and as much as the prospect of being a father scared him, Nathan knew that he would have to start leading by example, acting the way he'd want his son to in the same situation. Nathan needed to be mature, own up to his mistakes and accept whatever punishment resulted.

That was a man that Nathan could be proud of, sure he'd have lost his dream, but he'd still have his life. He'd still have Haley and their son and he'd know that he'd done the right thing eventually.

Nathan crossed his hands in front of him as he sat on the bench, gazing across the river. As he sat there he considered walking back to meet Haley and Lucas at the café. The evening was beginning to draw in, darkness slowly creeping up on the world.

Just as Nathan stood up from the bench to leave, he noticed Whitey walking across the river court towards him from his car.

Nathan walked towards Whitey, meeting him in the middle of the court.

"Hey coach," Nathan said as he approached him.

"Nathan," Whitey responded off-handedly. "I guess you've heard about the allegations directed towards you."

Nathan avoided Whitey's gaze for a moment before looking up to meet his enquiring expression.

"Yeah, I've heard coach." Nathan said quietly as he made a move to walk past him, not wanting to get into a conversation with Whitey due to the sudden wave of guilt that had washed over him.

Whitey turned around to look at Nathan as he passed.

"Are they true?" Whitey asked after him.

Nathan stopped in his tracks before turning slowly to face his coach.

As soon as Whitey noticed Nathan's expression he had his answer. Everything he needed to know was written across Nathan's face. It was true, all of it.

Nathan watched Whitey for a moment, as his coach avoided Nathan's gaze and glanced down at the court beneath his feet. Knowing that Whitey understood, Nathan turned around and continued on his way back towards the café.

Whitey watched after him, feeling a mixture of anger, disappointment and sadness. Whitey truly believed that he'd had some influence on the boys in the team, had taught them not only the skills they needed to play basketball but also those that they needed in life. He'd hoped that he had taught them to become men, helped them in their transition into adulthood, but now, knowing what Nathan had done, Whitey doubted his influence.

As he watched Nathan disappear into the distance, Whitey removed his baseball cap and reached up to rub the top of his head soothingly with his hand. After a moment Whitey replaced it to it's previous position, tears forming behind his eyes.

**(Dan's house)**

As Dan entered the foyer of his house he couldn't help but think back to his earlier conversation with Lucas. The night of prom, he'd been certain that his son had come to visit him in his office, that he'd finally discovered the truth about his involvement in Keith's death. But now, now Dan wasn't so sure.

He remembered that night vividly, how he'd looked up from his desk to find Lucas hovering in the doorway, a look of anger and hatred on his face. He'd threatened Dan, vowing to bring him down, to make him pay for what he did to Keith. The he'd vanished as quickly as he'd appeared into the night once again.

Dan had been confused when he'd first heard Lucas' admission. He'd wondered how he'd possibly found out about his involvement in Keith's death. Dan had even considered the possibility that he'd let it slip, but then he'd remember who it could have been. He'd remembered seeing them talking at prom, Lucas and the small brown haired boy. The same boy that had threatened to go to the police with what he knew, to expose Dan for what he was. A murderer.

What Dan didn't understand now, is how he could possibly have imagined that conversation? It had seemed so real to him, but from Lucas' reaction earlier it had been clear that it'd not happened. After all, would Lucas really invite him round for dinner with his mother and him if he knew the truth? Dan didn't seem to think so.

The more Dan thought about it, the more he had to admit that it probably didn't happen. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd imagined seeing something that wasn't there, or thought he was having a conversation with someone when deep down he knew that he shouldn't be able to. Since Keith's death, Dan had had a number of conversations with his brother, had seen him before him as though he was still alive. So then, why couldn't the same have happened for his conversation with Lucas?

As Dan thought about it he realised that the same thing probably had happened. That he'd just imagined Lucas finding out about his involvement because he felt guilty for taking Keith from Lucas' life.

As Dan entered his living room, he placed his keys on the side table and removed his jacket, draping it over the back of the sofa. It was only once he looked up did he notice what was covering his walls.

Dan walked quickly over towards one and reached up to remove one of the pieces of paper tacked to it.

Once he'd pulled it down, Dan glanced between the photocopy and his side table, where a picture of him and Keith as children was sitting. Dan glanced down at the photocopy in his hand, at the exact same photo sitting on the table only feet away, only bigger.

Dan glanced at his walls once more, noticing more and more pictures of him and Keith completely covering the walls from ceiling to floor. Hundreds of photocopied pictures, of Keith and Dan as children up until they were older. There were pictures of Keith with Lucas and Karen, happy in their little make shift family.

As Dan made his way around the room, he noticed repeats of earlier pictures, only this time Keith was no longer in them. Where Keith once stood next to Dan was now emptiness, nothing.

Dan glanced down at the picture in his hand of him and Keith, before looking back up to the same picture without his brother in it. Dan screwed the picture up in his hand into a ball before throwing it onto the floor before him.

As soon as the photocopy hit the floor, Dan began ripping the other pictures from the wall angrily. As the wall began to clear and paper began to pile on the floor around him, Dan began looking at the wall curiously.

Beneath the pictures something was written in white paint. Dan reached up to touch the paint, rubbing it between his fingers when it came off the wall still wet. Dan tore down the remainder of the pictures revealing the writing beneath it.

Dan read the writing slowly with a look of disbelief on his face. As he stood there Dan read over it a number of times to make sure that he understood it properly.

_**Tick Tock Danny, Tick Tock.**_

As Dan read it he understood the implications immediately. Dan turned towards the two remaining walls still covered by photocopies and began furiously to tear them down and reveal the writing beneath them.

Once he'd finished Dan looked between the walls, reading the silent messages painted upon them. Aside from the previous message were two others.

_**Your time is almost up Danny **_followed by _**It won't be long now…**_

On reading the remaining the wall, Dan backed up slightly, turning towards a nearby cabinet in search of his gun.

When Dan could not find it in the last place that he'd left it, he panicked, running upstairs into his room to check the beside table, where he sometimes kept it. Dan had no luck finding the gun there either and so turned around to leave the bedroom and search elsewhere in the house.

Just as he was about to leave Dan noticed writing on the mirror in his room. As he approached it to get a better look, Dan could see his reflection in the mirror beneath the words painted on top of it with red paint. Dan looked closely at his reflection in the mirror closely for a moment reading the words carefully as he did. "**_I have sinned"_**

**(Karen's Café)**

"Lucas?" Karen questioned her son as he stood glancing indecisively between the door and Haley.

Haley watched her best friend closely and Lucas noticed the pained expression on her face.

"Lucas, what if something happens to Brooke?" Haley asked swallowing hard as she finished. "Peyton's going to need us all, you especially. Mouth can wait, besides I'm sure he'd want to know if something happened to Brooke."

"I know," Lucas said quietly. "That's why I'm staying here."

As he said this Lucas took the seat next to Haley and took her hand in his free one. As he sat there, Lucas quickly sent a text message to Mouth, explaining that he'd be late in meeting them. However, Lucas omitted the fact that something had happened to Brooke from his message, knowing that Mouth would want to come to the café to be with them.

Lucas felt guilty about that decision. He'd tell Mouth once they met up later, but if Abby turned up at the café with him now, everyone would get suspicious, and Lucas couldn't risk Dan turning up again and seeing the three of them together. It would ruin any plans that Lucas may have had to get justice for Jimmy and Keith. Lucas just hoped that Peyton would call with good news regarding Brooke's condition; otherwise he could be left to deal with his own guilt that he didn't tell Mouth earlier.

As the text message sent, Lucas placed his phone back down on the countertop in front of himself, Haley and his mom. Haley looked at Lucas and from the expression on her face, he knew that she was worried.

Lucas pulled Haley closer towards him, his arm wrapped comfortingly around her shoulders and kissed her forehead gently.

"She'll be okay, right Luke?" Haley asked worriedly.

Lucas hugged Haley closer in comfort as he spoke.

"Yeah she'll be ok Hales." Lucas said more confidently then he felt. "I mean its Brooke…"

Karen rubbed Haley's arm comfortingly over the counter as she continued for Lucas.

"She's strong," Karen said reassuringly.

Haley smiled half-heartedly at Karen before speaking again.

"I know," she said in agreement. "Its just the cancer complicates things doesn't it? I mean what if it's nothing to do with the head injury."

Karen looked slightly confused a Haley's previous statement and glanced questioningly at Lucas.

"What cancer?" Karen asked him.

"Mom…" Lucas began to explain but Karen cut him short.

"Brooke has cancer?" Karen asked surprised.

"Wait," Haley said turning to face Lucas. "You didn't tell her?"

"I wasn't sure whether Brooke wanted everyone to know yet…" Lucas protested. "I mean she didn't even tell us…we had to find out from Peyton."

"She's been hiding it?" Karen asked. "For how long?"

"Mom, please can we not talk about this right now…" Lucas asked her, desperately wanting to change the subject.

Sitting here now, Lucas thought he finally understood what Brooke had told him earlier when he'd gone to see her. She was right; the knowledge of her condition changes things. People want to know about it, talk about it, when she just wants to put it aside and focus on more important things.

Lucas knew she had cancer, after all Peyton had explained everything to him after he'd accidentally overheard her conversation with Rachel yesterday. He knew that there was a possibility that Brooke could die as did she, but he didn't want to talk about it with people, he didn't want to discuss the possibility, especially not now why everyone was already worried enough.

That's what Brooke had been getting at earlier, why she'd shut down when he'd tried to talk about it with her and Lucas finally felt as though he could relate to that. When she wanted to talk about it, she would, but until then she just wanted to forget about it for a little while.

For a minute it appeared as though Karen was going to say something more, but her words were interrupted by the sound of Lucas' phone ringing on the countertop.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care)**

After hanging up the phone to Lucas, Peyton had crossed the corridor to stand outside the door to Brooke's room. For a moment she'd attempted to see inside, however, the blind covering the door had been shut, obstructing her view.

Peyton had been waiting ten minutes until finally, the door to Brooke's room had opened and her doctor had emerged. Before Peyton had a chance to look inside the room, the doctor had closed the door and begun to lead her towards the nearby chairs.

Brooke's doctor took one of the empty seats and motioned for Peyton to take the one next to him.

Peyton did as she was told, sitting down slowly beside the doctor, never removing her eyes from his as she tried to read his expression.

For a moment the doctor didn't say anything, instead watching Peyton closely as she averted her gaze and looked down towards his name badge, reading the words Dr. Stevens.

Until now, Peyton had not realised that in all the conversations she'd had with the doctor since yesterday, she'd not once asked him his name and she wondered now whether that had offended him. Peyton also wondered whether or not Brooke knew his name, and made a mental note to ask her next time that they spoke.

Dr Stevens watched Peyton closely as she stared at the name badge upon his scrubs and cleared his throat to try and regain her attention.

Peyton looked up at the sudden noise from the doctor and met his gaze, releasing a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding once she noticed the kind smile on his face.

"Brooke's stable," the doctor said simply, knowing that was all Peyton had wanted to hear from him.

"She is?" Peyton asked relief evident in her voice.

"She definitely likes to keep us on our toes though," Dr Stevens said winking comfortingly at Peyton and adding. "Gave everybody a bit of a scare."

Peyton smiled at the doctor from where she was sitting before responding.

"So... what happened to her?" Peyton asked worriedly. "I mean one minute she was fine and the next…"

Dr Stevens looked at Peyton a moment as she trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Well," Dr Stevens began to explain. "It's possible that the swelling to Brooke's brain and the resultant increase in intra-cranial pressure caused some interference with the part of the brain that controls the respiratory drive."

The doctor noticed Peyton's questioning expression and quickly added, "the part of the brain that controls a persons breathing pattern."

Dr Stevens paused for a moment before continuing.

"When this is happens it can result in something we call Cheyne-Stokes respiration, where breathing can be rapid for short periods of time and then absent in others…"

"Is that why Brooke was having difficulty breathing?" Peyton asked worriedly.

"I think so," Dr Stevens answered. "You mentioned when you came to get us that she seemed to be breathing quickly, and just after we went in she stopped."

Peyton seemed taken aback by the fact that Brooke had stopped breathing but didn't say anything, instead waiting for the doctor to continue.

On noticing Peyton's worried expression he reassured her.

"We took her for an MRI scan to rule out any shift of brain tissue caused by the swelling and we found none. Therefore, the chances are this is just a temporary complication."

"I don't understand," Peyton asked the doctor. "I thought you said the swelling was decreasing?"

Dr Stevens nodded as he replied.

"It is," he agreed. "In fact it's decreased hugely since the MRI scan we took last night."

"Then why did this happen?" Peyton asked. "I mean if she's getting better than why couldn't she breathe or talk?"

The doctor placed a hand on Peyton's shoulder comfortingly.

"Although the swelling is resolving it's still caused the tissue of the brain to be under pressure for an extended period of time. Therefore, the swelling may have decreased, but the tissue is still affected from the pressure it was under and needs time to recover." Dr Stevens continued.

On seeing Peyton's uncertain look he tried to explain.

"For example, it's similar to when you get a bruise," he clarified. "Although the cause of the bruise is no longer pressing on the skin, the bruise is still visible until the tissue recovers fully."

Dr Stevens watched Peyton for a moment as she nodded her understanding and then he continued.

"When Brooke began to breathe rapidly she hyperventilated and the amount of carbon dioxide in her blood decreased below the normal levels. This led to the chest pain and her inability to speak that you witnessed."

The doctor watched Peyton carefully a moment whilst he paused.

"Brooke has been under a lot of stress with everything that's going on," the doctor said knowingly. "It's possible that's the cause of what happened, possibly from the phone call with her parents?"

Peyton nodded her agreement; silently telling the doctor that the conversation with her parents had been difficult for Brooke.

The doctor stood up from his seat and watched Peyton as she copied him.

"She's asleep at present," Dr Stevens informed Peyton. "We've intubated her again for a moment, just in case the same thing should happen again."

Dr Stevens noted Peyton's questioning expression and answered.

"It's just a precaution for now. She's not sedated, so she'll probably wake up soon and she's breathing on her own. The ventilator is just there in the event she should suddenly stop breathing again. The machine senses when the patient has not taken a breath and provides one for them."

The doctor paused for a moment.

"It's not the most comfortable thing for the patient, but for the time being it's there as a sort of back up," the doctor continued. "You can go and sit with her if you like? She'll probably be a little anxious when she first wakes up so just reassure her. We'll check her over in a little while and if we're happy then we'll extubate her."

"Thank you," she said sincerely as the doctor smiled in response.

"If you're worried about anything just come and find me," Dr Stevens said kindly.

Peyton smiled back before the doctor turned and headed once again towards the nearby desk.

Before Peyton went back in to see Brooke she walked back over towards the nearby payphone to call Lucas back and tell him the news.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey sorry for not updating for a couple of days but I had my grad ball and moving out of my flat so I have been busy. I don't know if people are still interested in reading this story and whether you want me to continue so let me know if you do and I'll be happy to. If people have lost interest then I'll stop this one and begin a new story. So let me know what you think...**

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

Lucas reached for his cell phone hesitantly, his hand shaking violently as it moved towards it. Once he'd taken the phone up into his hand, Lucas stared down at the screen, a feeling of anxiousness washing over him when he read _**Out of Area**_ flashing across it.

For some inexplicable reason, Lucas was dreading answering the phone, not because he didn't want to talk to Peyton but because he was worried about the news she'd give him. Lucas looked up and saw his mom and Haley watching him closely. Haley had a questioning expression on her face and he could see the apprehension on her face.

"It's Peyton," Lucas informed them, his voice calmer than he felt.

For a moment Lucas stared down at the phone in his hand, not quite able to bring himself to answer it. After a minute he finally connected the call, putting the phone up to his ear and speaking into it.

"Hello?" he asked tentatively glancing quickly at his mom and then Haley. "Peyton?"

"Yeah it's me," Peyton answered quietly, inhaling sharply after she'd spoken.

Lucas waited silently for a moment hoping that Peyton would continue. When she didn't he prompted her.

"How's Brooke?" he encouraged.

Peyton didn't respond immediately causing Lucas to hold his breath inwardly whilst he waited for her response.

"She's ok," Peyton said, her voice betraying the emotion she was obviously feeling.

Lucas sighed heavily, releasing the breath he'd been holding on to. Haley and Karen were watching Lucas' interaction over the phone eagerly and on noticing this he placed his hand over the cell phone and turned his face towards them.

"Brooke's ok," he informed them.

On hearing this news, Lucas saw both his mom and Haley release slow breaths as he'd done only moments ago.

Lucas uncovered the phone again and spoke to Peyton who'd remained silent on the other end of the line.

"What happened?" he asked her kindly.

"She stopped breathing," Peyton said as she leant against the wall of the hospital and slowly ran a hand through her hair. "She's ventilated again, but the doctor said it's only a precaution. He said she should wake up again soon."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair as he listened to Peyton speaking and sighed again.

"Will she be alright?" Lucas asked Peyton worriedly, glancing once again between his mom and Haley.

Haley placed her hand on Lucas', which was resting atop the counter before him and squeezed it enquiringly.

Lucas met Haley's gaze as he listened to Peyton's answer over the phone.

"He seems to think that she'll be ok," Peyton replied, pausing momentarily before adding, "he says the swelling has decreased hugely since last night…"

Lucas waited, expecting Peyton to continue, he didn't know why but he sensed that there was more that she wanted to say to him. When she didn't carry on Lucas spoke instead.

"Do they know what caused it?" Lucas asked her. "I mean if she's getting better than why did she stop breathing?"

A sudden look of concern came across Karen's face at Lucas' words and she leant her elbows on the counter, in hopes of hearing more of the conversation between her son and Peyton.

"The doctor seems to think it was a combination of her injuries and the stress of talking to her mom." Peyton answered quietly.

"Her mom phoned?" Lucas asked evidently surprised.

"Uh…yeah." Peyton said, realising she'd not told Lucas about this during her last phone call.

"Well, how'd it go?" Lucas asked eagerly.

Secretly Lucas had been hoping that Brooke's mom and dad would get in contact with their daughter. After his conversation with Brooke earlier, he'd realised just how much she needed them in her life right now, and had attempted to contact them himself.

"She told her," Peyton said suddenly. "Her mom's coming down to see her."

Lucas felt himself smile at Peyton's words, knowing how much Brooke had missed her parents since moving back to Tree Hill following summer vacation and how pleased she'd be to see them again.

"You were right," Peyton added softly, taking Lucas off guard.

"What about?" he asked confused.

"You were right to try and contact them Lucas," Peyton said gratefully. "Brooke didn't really get a chance to say so, but I could tell that it meant a lot to her that they phoned. I guess I didn't realise how lonely she's been without them around."

Lucas listened for a moment, not really sure what he should say in response to her words. When he didn't say anything Peyton decided to speak instead.

"Thank you," she said kindly to him. "From me and Brooke."

"Peyton, it wasn't anything really." Lucas protested, not feeling as though what he'd done had been something special.

"No," Peyton disagreed. "It was Lucas. It might not seem like much but to Brooke it meant everything."

For a moment, an awkward silence hung between the pair of them. Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably before breaking it.

"What about you?" Lucas asked her lovingly. "Are you ok? If you want I can come down there?"

"I'm alright," Peyton reassured him.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked, concern creeping back into his voice.

"Yeah," Peyton answered him comfortingly. "Now I know Brooke's going to be ok, I'm fine, honestly."

Peyton paused for a moment before continuing.

"You don't have to come down here Lucas," Peyton said appreciatively. "Before you know it we'll both be back home."

Lucas seemed to think for a moment before responding.

"Ok," he said understandingly. "As long as you're both alright."

Peyton glanced down the corridor towards Brooke's room before next speaking into the phone.

"Yeah," she said a sad smile on her face. "We're fine."

Peyton paused for a moment and sighed.

"I have to go," she said finally after a minute or two. "I'm going to go sit with Brooke."

"Ok," Lucas said supportively. "Tell Brooke that everyone's thinking about her."

"I will," Peyton answered honestly.

"Hey Peyton," Lucas said quickly before she hung up. "Call me if you need anything ok? Either of you."

Peyton nodded even though she knew Lucas could not see the gesture.

"Ok," she agreed. "Thanks Lucas."

"I'll speak to you soon," Lucas said smiling sadly. "I miss you."

"Me too," Peyton said glancing back down the corridor towards Brooke's room. "I love you."

Lucas exhaled deeply before answering her.

"I love you too Peyton." He said sincerely before he heard her disconnect the call.

Lucas disconnected the call from his end and placed his cell phone back onto the countertop before reiterating everything Peyton had told him, to both his mom and Haley.

**(Honeygrove Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

After disconnecting the phone call from Lucas, Peyton replaced the receiver, her hand resting on top of it momentarily as it sat in place. Peyton stood like this for a minute before finally turning and walking towards Brooke's room.

Peyton slowly reached out for the door handle as she stood before Brooke's room, her hand resting gently on it as she mustered up the courage to enter. Peyton opened the door hesitantly, entering the room quietly and walking towards Brooke's bed.

Peyton had seen Brooke ventilated when she'd first been allowed into the room to see her, however, for some reason the sight of it again now shocked her somewhat.

Despite this Peyton, took her seat next to Brooke's bed and stroked the side of her face gently with the back of her hand. Peyton saw Brooke's eye flutter as her hand passed beside it and Peyton smiled as Brooke stirred into wakefulness to look at her.

Brooke swallowed hard, gagging slightly on the tube in her throat before reaching up towards it inquiringly.

Peyton stopped her, taking Brooke's hand in both of hers and rubbing it reassuringly. Feeling this touch, Brooke glanced back at Peyton from looking around the room uncertainly.

"You're ok," Peyton said reading Brooke's questioning expression. "The doctors intubated you again…it's just…it's just a precaution…they…uh…"

Peyton trailed off as she watched Brooke, not really sure what to say to comfort her at the moment. She could see Brooke's throat working as she continued to swallow, the tube in her throat obviously causing her discomfort. As she sat beside the bed, Peyton felt tears form behind her eyes and she cursed herself for crying once again.

To her it appeared that all she'd done since Brooke had been admitted was cry, and she hated herself for not being stronger for Brooke.

Suddenly Peyton glanced down at Brooke's hand in hers as her friend tried to remove it from her grasp.

Peyton released Brooke's hand and looked up upset, thinking that Brooke didn't want her around. However, she was surprised when Brooke's hand reached up to her face and wiped away the tears, which had run down Peyton's cheek.

Peyton wiped at her eyes roughly with the back of her hand and laughed at herself as Brooke removed her hand. All the time, Brooke's eyes had never left Peyton's face as she watched her closely.

Slowly Peyton reached over and took Brooke's hand in her own once more.

"So, this is kind of weird" Peyton started uncertain what to say, knowing that Brooke could understand her but not answer her. "Uh…I know you can't answer me…but uh…I thought maybe I could ask you something…"

Brooke raised her eyebrow inquisitively at Peyton's words causing her to laugh.

"Don't give me that look," Peyton said watching as a frown spread across Brooke's face. "It's not bad, I promise."

As she said this Peyton placed one of her hands over her chest.

Brooke rolled her eyes, causing Peyton to laugh once again before continuing.

"Ok so here's the thing," Peyton began hesitantly. "I kind of want to ask you something…. you can say no…or shake your head or something if you don't want to…but well the thing is…"

Peyton paused a moment, averting her gaze and trying to find the best words to ask Brooke what she'd been wanting to since they'd made up a couple of days ago.

Peyton glanced back up at Brooke and saw her frowning confused again, her eyes silently telling Peyton to get on with it already.

"Ok…well ….I … uh…" Peyton stuttered.

Peyton watched Brooke's eyes as they looked towards the door to her room. Dr Stevens stood there watching the pair of them for a moment before stepping into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said apologetically. "I just wanted to check Brooke over if that's ok?"

Peyton watched as Brooke looked between her and the doctor. She could tell from her expression that she wanted Peyton to finish what she'd been about to ask her, but now she'd been interrupted, Peyton had lost her nerve and instead stood up from where she was sitting, releasing Brooke's hand.

"I'll wait outside," she said as she turned towards the doctor.

As she was about to head towards the door, Peyton felt Brooke grasp her arm firmly in her hand and Peyton turned back to face her.

The doctor watched the interaction questioningly, not speaking for a moment.

As Peyton looked back towards Brooke, she could see the enquiry in her eyes, pleading silently with Peyton to stay and continue what she'd been about to say.

"Brooke…" she said hesitantly as Peyton glanced back towards the doctor.

"You don't have to leave," the doctor finally offered. "I'm happy for you to stay in here for this. It will only take a minute…"

Peyton looked between Brooke and the doctor before gently removing Brooke's hand from around her arm.

"Uh, that's ok." Peyton said awkwardly to him, before looking back towards Brooke and just as quickly avoiding her gaze. "I think I'm going to go and get something to drink…"

As she said this, Peyton walked towards the door and exited quickly, not looking back until she was outside the room, and out of Brooke's view. Peyton leant her back against Brooke's door as she stood in the corridor, and exhaled deeply, wondering how she could even contemplate asking Brooke what she'd been about to?

**(Tree Hill)**

Following his conversation with Peyton, Lucas had informed both Karen and Haley more fully on Brooke's condition, reassuring them that she was going to be ok. After this he'd decided to broach the subject of Dan with his mom and told her of the invitation he'd extended to his father this morning, asking him to dinner later tonight with the pair of them. Not long after Lucas had left the café, excusing himself by explaining that he needed to see Mouth and inform him of Brooke's condition.

As he walked towards the river court now, Lucas thought back to his mom's reaction. Lucas did not know how he'd been expecting his mom to react to the news of his offer, but it'd still shocked him to see how happy she'd been that he was willing to give Dan a chance.

At seeing her happiness, Lucas was overcome with a sudden wave of guilt, knowing that the reasons he'd invited Dan had not been honourable. In fact, Lucas had only invited Dan to dinner; in order to further his own plans to bring his father down and get justice for Jimmy and Keith.

Lucas knew that he was being deceptive, that he was keeping things from his mom and giving her false hope that maybe one day he and Dan would get along. That maybe at some point in the future they'd be able to be a family again. Lucas wasn't oblivious to how close Dan and his mom had become since Keith's death. He wasn't ignorant to the fact that there might be something more going on between them then just friendship, however he hoped that his plan to expose Dan for the murderer he was would come to fruition before anything romantic developed between his parents.

When the truth was finally exposed, Lucas knew that his mom would be crushed, but he couldn't help that. He knew she'd question herself for allowing Dan to fool her once again, for believing his lies and letting herself get close to him once more.

As he continued to make his way towards the river court, Lucas thought about Dan. Ever since he'd discovered Dan's role in Keith's death, Lucas had been trying to figure out his motive for killing his brother. What could Keith have possibly done to warrant Dan shooting him in cold blood?

Lucas knew that Dan and Keith didn't have the easiest relationship and that they fought the same way he and Nathan had before Haley had managed to unite them as brothers. Lucas knew that Keith had slept with Deb, but he thought that Dan had already sought revenge for that by hiring Jules.

The other possibility was that Dan had been jealous of Keith and his mom's relationship. That he'd wanted to get Keith out of the picture so that he had a chance at winning Karen back. However, for some reason, Lucas couldn't picture that as the reason. After all, there had always been something between Keith and his mom. Even before she left for cooking school in Italy they'd both had feelings for one another.

If Dan had been jealous of their relationship, surely he would have done something earlier, not waited until when he had. Suddenly Lucas remembered what had happened shortly after Keith had returned early on in the school year. Dan had asked the police to arrest Keith on suspicion of starting the fire at the dealership, which almost killed him. They'd held Keith for questioning but soon released him on lack of evidence.

Was it possible that Dan had killed him as retaliation? That he'd been so sure it had been Keith who attempted to murder him that he'd got his revenge by shooting him in cold blood? Lucas knew that it'd been Deb who set fire to the dealership that night, not Keith. He knew why she did it, that she'd been trying to escape from Dan and build a better, safer life for her and Nathan.

The more Lucas thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. Dan's guilt over murdering his brother, his sudden interest in making sure Karen and Keith's child was looked after all seeming to finally make sense.

Dan had killed Keith believing him to be the person who'd tried to kill him, the person who'd left him to die in a burning building. However, somehow he must have found out that it had in fact been Deb who'd ignited the fire, Deb who'd wanted to rid him from her life, not Keith. Up until that point, Dan would have no regrets about killing Keith, feeling as though he'd deserved it, that it was some form of punishment.

That had all changed once Dan realised Deb had tried to kill him. Suddenly Dan would be overwhelmed by guilt for taking the life of his brother. He'd feel guilty for Karen being abandoned once again, for another of her children to grow up without their father.

In an attempt to gain absolution, he'd tried to make it up to Keith by being supportive of Karen and the baby now that he was gone. Not because he wanted to but because he felt guilty. As he considered this, Lucas felt anger rising within him. Just the thought of Dan now was enough to make him fume inside, hatred building up with every second his fathers actions played on his mind.

Lucas shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he crossed the road to the river court. Now was not the time to lose his head and lash out at Dan. If Lucas was going to get Dan to confess, he had to be smart about this. He had to carry on as planned and that included talking to Abby and finding out exactly what it was she saw that day at the school.

As he approached, Lucas could make out Mouth as he stood from his seat on picnic table beside the river court. He noticed an anxious look on Mouth's face, and wondered whether he'd been able to achieve what they'd discussed earlier that day. It was only as he got nearer to Mouth that Lucas chanced a glance towards the brown haired girl still sitting beside him on the bench.

His gut churned with anticipation as he approached slowly, as his eyes met hers for the first time. As he neared, Lucas didn't remove his eyes from hers as he tried to read her expression. Only as he reached the two of them did the girl rise from her seat so that she was standing before Lucas, the pair of them meeting for the first time since he had discovered it'd been Dan that killed Keith and not Jimmy. Only then, did Lucas look into the eyes of the one person that'd known the truth all this time, the one person who could clear Jimmy's name and help him destroy Dan Scott. _**Abby**_.


	14. Chapter 14

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

After leaving Brooke's room, Peyton had left the hospital building and sat outside in the fresh air. For the past thirty minutes, Peyton had been lost in thought, contemplating what could possibly have possessed her to even consider asking Brooke what she'd been about to.

Eventually Peyton had come to the conclusion that being confined inside for so long was finally starting to get to her, after all what else could explain the sudden desire she'd had to say what she'd wanted.

As she sat outside now, Peyton felt awful. All she could keep thinking about was the pleading look Brooke had given her before she'd left, before she'd turned her back on her. What had she been thinking? Fair enough, she'd managed to stop herself from possibly making a huge mistake, but did she really need to abandon Brooke like she had? Peyton didn't think so.

For the last ten minutes Peyton had wanted more than anything to go back upstairs and make sure Brooke was ok, but something inside Peyton wouldn't let her. Fear.

What if Brooke was upset with her for leaving like she had? Since she'd woken up Brooke hadn't asked much of Peyton, in fact, all she'd asked is that Peyton stay with her. However, even that was only after Peyton had insisted on staying with Brooke when the others returned home.

Yet, here Peyton was, sitting alone outside the hospital as the evening drew in around her, failing once again to do the only thing that Brooke needed her to. Peyton wondered how she could be finding something so easy as just being around Brooke, so difficult.

Her and Brooke had been friends for ten years. They were comfortable around each other, never struggling to start a conversation because they just began naturally. So why was being around Brooke suddenly so hard for Peyton?

_It's because Brooke could die, _Peyton thought to herself.

Peyton shook her head from side to side in an attempt to rid that sudden insight. Brooke wasn't going to die, at least not any time soon Peyton hoped. Besides, she'd known about Brooke's cancer since yesterday, so why was it only now becoming such an issue?

_Because now it's more real, _Peyton thought.

Peyton shook her head once again, trying to stop her mind from continuing to wander down this track. However, as hard as Peyton tried, she couldn't because it was true.

Since Peyton had found out about the cancer following prom, Brooke had her struggles, but mostly she continued to be the same person that she has always been. Energetic. Impulsive. Witty.

As she thought about it now a startling realisation hit Peyton and she found it upsetting. If it had been anyone else upstairs, Peyton wouldn't be finding this so difficult because she'd know that once they were discharged that would be the end of it. That on leaving the hospital, they'd be able to move on with their life. However, for Brooke this wasn't the case. Once she left here she'd just move onto the next hospital, the next treatment in her fight for life.

Peyton finally understood what Brooke had been trying to explain to her earlier. Why she'd been so eager to leave the hospital and return home to Tree Hill. Brooke had only stayed because she knew that Peyton wanted her to, not because that's what she'd wanted for herself.

As she thought about this, Peyton couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of guilt. Perhaps there was something that she could do for Brooke once she was discharged to make up for it?

Suddenly without warning Peyton remembered one of her drawings.

_People always leave_.

When Brooke had told Peyton about her cancer she'd promised her that she wasn't going anywhere without a fight, that she'd do whatever she could to beat this. Brooke had promised Peyton that she wouldn't leave her.

As she recalled this Peyton stood from where she'd been sitting and made her way back into the hospital building. Brooke had made Peyton a promise, but in return Peyton had promised her that she wouldn't have to do this alone, that they'd do it together.

Peyton kicked herself inside as she made her way back towards Brooke's room. How could she have just left Brooke like that when she'd clearly wanted her to stay?

_So much for promises, _Peyton thought. This shouldn't be hard. In fact, Brooke had made this incredibly easy for everyone by continuing to be herself. The only person that was making this difficult for Peyton was herself.

She was the one who was over thinking things, who was focusing on what the future might hold instead of facing the present. She'd promised herself yesterday that she'd seize each day that she'd make the most of it. That she'd stop worrying about what might happen tomorrow.

Brooke wasn't, so why should she? Of course Brooke was scared about what the future could hold for her, she'd even admitted as much to Peyton.

"_**I guess what it all comes down to is that I'm scared Peyton." Brooke confessed. "It just seems like my whole life is slipping away from me and no matter how much I try to hold onto it, I can't… and if that's the case, then I want to enjoy as much of it as I can… whilst I can. I don't want to be stuck in a hospital, missing out on spending time with my friends and the people that I care about…"**_

The difference was that Brooke wasn't obsessing over it. She knew the possibilities but she'd face them when the time came, until then she just wanted to enjoy her life and continue to do the things that she normally does.

In that moment Peyton realised that she needed to follow Brooke's example. For the last thirty minutes she'd been sitting outside worrying about how Brooke would react to her leaving, worrying about Brooke and that she might lose her. However, what had she really achieved from it? _Nothing_.

As she realised this Peyton thought about what she'd missed whilst she'd been brooding outside and was surprised to find it was more than she gained.

When Peyton reached the door to Brooke's room, she paused outside momentarily to compose herself, her hand resting gently on the handle. After a minute, Peyton turned the handle slowly and opened the door as she entered the room.

Peyton was shocked to see Brooke sitting on the edge of her bed, an oxygen mask covering her face as she attempted to stand up from her current position. On noticing Peyton standing mouth agape at the doorway, Brooke looked towards her and spoke.

"P. Sawyer," Brooke said, her voice raspy from where she'd been intubated. "You're back."

"Brooke?" Peyton asked stepping into the room and closing the door, obviously still stunned.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked as she attempted to stand up from where she was sitting.

For a moment, Peyton stared at her in silence, confusion registering on her face. When she didn't say anything Brooke decided to continue.

"You know," Brooke said finally standing up and looking at Peyton. "It's not very fair to run out of the room during the middle of a conversation…especially when I can't shout after you because I have a stupid tube down my throat."

"I'm sorry," Peyton, said, her mind still struggling to take in the scene before her.

Peyton watched Brooke for a moment as she attempted to reach over to the chair positioned beside her bed with one hand.

"What are you doing?" Peyton managed to ask as her mind finally caught up with her eyes.

"Well," Brooke began matter of factly, still reaching for the chair. "I stopped being able to feel my ass about an hour ago so I'm getting out of bed for a bit."

Brooke paused for a moment before adding as an after thought, "In fact, now you're back, can you please help me?"

At Brooke's words Peyton sprung into action, darting across the room to take the hand that Brooke was offering to her.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, of course I will, here" Peyton said as she wrapped Brooke's arm around her shoulders and led her towards the chair.

Peyton helped Brooke as she slowly lowered herself into the chair and sat down.

"Thanks," Brooke said once she was seated. "I was starting to worry that that if I stayed in bed any longer there'd be a permanent indentation of my ass in the mattress."

Peyton laughed as she stood leaning against the edge of Brooke's bed, watching her friend sit before her.

"Rightly so," Peyton said still laughing. "I mean, they'd probably lose a couple of patients in it once you've gone because it's so big."

"Hey," Brooke protested as she pointed towards Peyton and smiled. "You're starting to sound like Rachel."

"Rachel?" Peyton asked raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"Yeah," Brooke answered. "Rachel told me I had a huge ass too. She said I should see if they'll fix it for free when I have my operation on Wednesday."

Peyton seemed to consider it for a moment, watching Brooke closely and making a point of trying to get a glimpse of her butt.

"Maybe you should consider it," Peyton said jokingly causing Brooke to lean forward and hit her playfully on the arm.

"Shut up." she said laughing. "Where've you been anyway?"

"I just needed to clear my head," Peyton answered honestly. "You know, get some fresh air."

"Really?" Brooke asked, a grin spreading across her face. "I didn't think there was much in there to begin with?"

Peyton laughed good naturedly before next speaking.

"Does Dr. Stevens know you're out of bed?" Peyton asked her, watching Brooke closely for a response.

"Of course," Brooke lied, knowing that Peyton had easily seen through it by the look that suddenly appeared across her face.

"Brooke?" Peyton asked smiling.

Brooke sighed before answering.

"Ok, so he doesn't know." Brooke answered. "But I don't see what the big deal is, I mean if I can go home tomorrow why can't I sit out of bed?"

"Wait," Peyton said realising what Brooke had just said. "I thought he wouldn't let you leave until Tuesday?"

"Well," Brooke started tentatively. "I kind of convinced him to let me leave tomorrow morning instead…"

"You convinced him?" Peyton asked quietly.

"On the condition that he's happy for me to leave when he checks me in the morning." Brooke added knowing Peyton would be worried if she thought that she was being discharged before she was ready. "I know that you think I should stay, but Peyton it is seriously boring in here and…"

"Ok," Peyton interrupted her.

Brooke looked at Peyton hesitantly.

"Ok?" Brooke asked her puzzled. "So…you're not upset?"

"Of course not," Peyton said smiling. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can sit in front of the TV all day binging on junk food. What's not to love about that?"

"Please don't mention food," Brooke said rubbing her stomach. "I haven't managed to eat anything since yesterday and I'm starving."

"You want me to get you something from the cafeteria?" Peyton asked her.

"The cafeteria?" Brooke asked making a disgusted face. "I think I'll pass."

"That's probably a good call." Peyton answered smiling.

For a moment the two of them sat in a comfortable silence, Brooke resting in the chair whilst Peyton rested on the edge of Brooke's bed.

"What were you going to ask me earlier?" Brooke asked after another minute had passed.

"Uh…it's was nothing really." Peyton answered avoiding Brooke's gaze.

"Peyton it didn't seem like nothing," Brooke disagreed. "I mean you said it wasn't anything bad, but if that's true then why won't you tell me?"

"Honestly Brooke, it's not important," Peyton answered. "It can wait."

Brooke watched Peyton closely for a moment as she continued to glance at the floor in front of her. Brooke knew that Peyton was lying to her, but she wasn't going to pull her up on it now, instead choosing to change the subject.

"I think I want to have pinese tomorrow." Brooke said as though thinking deeply.

"Pinese?" Peyton asked glad for the sudden change of topic.

"Yeah," Brooke said smiling. "Pizza and Chinese. Pinese."

"Brooke you'll never be able to eat them both at the same time," Peyton said laughing.

"Of course I will," Brooke said standing from her chair.

On seeing Brooke stand Peyton leant forward to help her.

"Remember that time I devoured two whole chocolate cakes?" Brooke continued as she rested against Peyton for balance.

Brooke began to make her way slowly over to the bed with Peyton.

"How could I forget?" Peyton asked laughing. "You're mom was so pissed at you because they were supposed to be the desserts for her dinner guests."

"I think I ended up spending the whole week hiding out at your house after that." Brooke remembered.

When they reached the bed Brooke was about to sit down on the edge of it, however, before she could Peyton pulled her into a warm embrace, holding her tightly in her arms.

For an instant Brooke was stunned but once she realised what was happening she hugged Peyton back, watching her closely as she did, a confused expression on her face.

**(Tree Hill: River Court)**

For a moment, Abby and Lucas stood looking at each other in silence, neither of them quite believing that they were actually standing in front of the other.

It was Mouth that eventually broke the quiet between them.

"I'll…uh…I'll leave you two alone for a while." Mouth said as he glanced between the two of them and began walking back across the river court to the street.

Lucas turned to call to him as he left.

"Hey Mouth," Lucas said causing Mouth to turn back around to face him. "Thanks."

A small smile crept across Mouth's face and Lucas returned it.

"Call me when you're ready for me," Mouth said smiling.

"I will." Lucas answered nodding his head.

Mouth threw one last glance towards Abby before turning around and making his way back towards the street away from the two of them.

Once Mouth had disappeared, Lucas turned back to face Abby, watching her as she stared at him questioningly.

Lucas sighed heavily before finally speaking. Ever since he'd discovered it had been Dan that'd killed Keith he'd been eager to speak to Abby, however, now that he was actually standing before her, his mind had gone blank.

Lucas had so many questions that he was having difficulty picking only one to ask. Eventually he decided to start small.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked Abby as he took the seat beside her on the picnic table.

Abby nodded in response to his question.

"Lucas Scott." Abby replied. "Mouth told me that you know…. that…"

"That my father killed my uncle?" Lucas finished for her.

"Yes." She said quietly, still meeting his gaze firmly.

Lucas exhaled deeply on hearing this. Of course he'd already overhead Abby accuse Dan of killing Keith, but her confirming it in person now still came as a shock to him.

Abby watched Lucas closely, allowing him time to ask the questions that he needed answering.

After a moment of silence Lucas finally managed to ask. "How do you know Abby?"

Lucas paused momentarily before repeating the question once more. "How do you know it was Dan that killed Keith?"

"I saw him," Abby answered averting her gaze from the scrutiny of Lucas'. "I was in one of the classrooms when I heard Jimmy talking to you in the corridor outside."

"Talking to me?" Lucas asked confused.

"You had Peyton in your arms and Jimmy was standing before, his gun pointing straight at the two of you." Abby swallowed hard before continuing. "Then your uncle came in…. he stood in front of both of you…protecting you…"

"He told me to leave." Lucas agreed remembering the last time he'd ever seen Keith alive. At the memory Lucas felt tears forming in his eyes.

"And you did," Abby continued noticing his sad expression. "But he stayed to talk to Jimmy…. he tried to help him Lucas…tried to get Jimmy to give him the gun…he wouldn't leave him…he wouldn't leave him alone."

Lucas wiped his eyes roughly as Abby continued.

"Your uncle tried to make Jimmy see that it would get better…that the pain he was feeling would go away…" Abby said quietly.

"But he couldn't help him," Lucas asked feeling more tears falling.

"No," Abby said almost inaudibly. "The only person that could help Jimmy was himself…but he chose not to…Jimmy was so blinded by his own pain that he couldn't see past his grief…he couldn't see a future Lucas…he didn't want to."

"So he shot himself?" Lucas asked her as sudden memories of Jimmy came flooding back.

As he sat there Lucas remembered how Jimmy had sat in almost the exact place he was sitting now, commentating along with Mouth as they watched him play basketball with the rest of the guys from the river court.

"Your uncle tried to stop him, but it was too late," Abby continued as her voice broke and she felt tears form in her own eyes at the memory.

She watched Lucas as he stared out at the river court before him and reached up to wipe his eyes once again. "It was…it was just too late."

Lucas turned back towards Abby on hearing her pause, his tears glistening in the moonlight. When Lucas didn't say anything Abby continued.

"Your uncle… Keith... He was leant over Jimmy on the floor when your father walked up to him." Abby said shaking her head and crying at the memory. "Dan…he bent down and picked up Jimmy's gun from the floor…Keith…Keith was crying…he told Dan that Jimmy was gone…"

Abby's voice trailed off as she tried to compose herself.

"Then what happened?" Lucas asked her, emotion thick in his voice. "Abby what happened next?" he repeated softly.

"Dan…" Abby managed to say to Lucas. "He lifted the gun in his hand…. aimed it…aimed it at Keith."

Abby exhaled deeply and wiped at her own eyes.

"Keith stood up…he looked…shocked…hurt." Abby said watching Lucas as he closed his eyes once more and more tears fell from his eyes. "Then…" Abby continued almost inaudibly. "Then Dan shot him."

Lucas had known that it wouldn't be easy to listen to Abby relay the events of that day back to him in all their detail but he'd definitely not been expecting to feel as he did now. Listening to Abby discuss the circumstances of Keith's shooting was painful, almost as though Lucas was relieving the day over again, experiencing the loss as though it had only just happened.

"I'm sorry," Abby said regretfully. "I'm so sorry…"

Lucas opened his eyes and turned to face Abby. He took her hand in her appreciatively.

"Thank you," he managed after a moment. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

Abby looked at Lucas closely as he wiped at his eyes, a sudden resolve coming over him as he tried to force the feelings that had resurfaced back to where they'd come from.

"Jimmy…" Abby started sadly. "He regretted it…bringing in the gun to school…I could see it…at the end… I could see it."

Lucas nodded swallowing hard.

"Jimmy didn't mean to hurt anyone…he was a good person deep down…he let me go…he did the right thing…he made a mistake…" Abby continued.

"And now he'll be remembered as a monster," Lucas interrupted her.

Lucas saw a tear roll down Abby's cheek as she nodded, her eyes closed.

"He was just…scared…just scared." She said sadly. "Dan's a monster…not Jimmy…when he shot your uncle…he was cold…uncaring…there was no hesitation…no regret…nothing."

"I need you to help me," Lucas said looking at Abby closely. "I need you to help me bring Dan down, to clear Jimmy's name…"

"Mouth told me your plan," Abby said wiping her eyes. "I'll whatever you need me to…"

Lucas nodded gratefully, a sad smile creeping onto his face.

"Thank you," he said quietly before standing up from his seat on the picnic table.

Lucas stood before Abby looking down at her closely before asking her, "What are you doing tonight?"

Abby gave Lucas a questioning look as he held out his hand to help her stand from the bench, the same look of resolve crossing his face that she'd seen only a few moments ago.


	15. Chapter 15

**(Tree Hill: Deb's House)**

After leaving the river court following his brief conversation with Whitey, Nathan had slowly made his way back towards his mom's house, stopping momentarily at Karen's café to see if Haley were still there with Lucas.

When he'd entered the café, Nathan had seen no sign of Haley or Lucas and on discussion with the waitress he had discovered that Karen had driven her home after finishing her shift. Since making his decision regarding the point shaving scam, Nathan had been eager to talk to her and so he had quickly left the café and walked back to the home they now shared with Deb.

Standing outside the house on the porch Nathan hesitated momentarily, his hand hovering over the door handle as he composed himself for the discussion that was soon to follow. Although Haley had promised to support Nathan whatever happened, he was still worried about what her reaction to his news would be.

The choice that he was about to make would change everything, could alter the future that they had planned together and not necessarily for the better. Nathan just hoped that Haley would agree he was doing the right thing and stand by him through this. Losing basketball was one thing and Nathan thought he could just about cope with Haley by his side, however, to lose both the game he loved and the girl he loved would be too much for him to bear.

Nathan sighed heavily before finally he finally grasped the door handle, pushing it open slowly as he entered the house. Once inside, Nathan closed the door behind him and made his way into the lounge where he found Haley sitting alone on the couch.

For a moment Nathan stood in the doorway watching his wife and smiling to himself. Seeing Haley sitting on the couch, her hand resting gently on her abdomen as she spoke softly to their baby confirmed in Nathan's mind that he was doing the right thing, that the decision he'd come to was correct. In that instant Nathan was overcome with the sudden feeling that everything would turn out all right, that he could be happy without basketball because he had Haley and their son in his life.

Haley hadn't appeared to notice Nathan standing in the doorway and continued to talk to the baby as she began rubbing her belly gently.

"You know kiddo," Haley began softly. "You're going to be one lucky baby, do you know that? You are going to have a lot of people in your life that love you. Not only me and your dad, but your uncle Lucas as well."

Haley paused a moment before continuing.

"He's going to be a great uncle, just like Keith was. It's a shame that you'll never get to meet him, but I can still see parts of him in Lucas. Then there's Karen, Lucas' mom. I know she'll spoil you rotten when you get here and I hope you two are close whilst you're growing up..."

Nathan cleared his throat as he entered the room, causing Haley to turn round and smile at him.

"Hey," she said lovingly as he took a seat next to her on the couch. "Where have you been? I was worried about you."

Nathan kissed Haley on the head before placing his hand on top of hers as it rested on her abdomen.

"I just needed to be alone for a while." Nathan said meeting Haley's gaze. "You know, think about what I'm going to do next."

Haley nodded, smiling sadly at him as she took his hand in hers. Nathan looked at Haley as she leant her head on his shoulder and spoke.

"I know," Haley said in response.

Nathan tilted his head to meet Haley's gaze as she lifted hers to look at him, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Nathan said after a moment of silence. "About what I'm going to do."

"Nathan," Haley began, sitting up slightly to get a better look at him. "You know that whatever you decide to do, I'll stand by you…"

"I know," Nathan said smiling at her and kissing her forehead once more. "Still, I think that we should talk about it, I mean whatever I decide it's going to change both our lives"

Nathan rubbed Haley's stomach gently with his hand before amending, "_All_ our lives. I just want to know if you think I'm doing the right thing. You're such a huge part of my life Hales, and I want to know that we made this choice together, both of us."

"Ok," Haley said quietly.

For a moment Nathan avoided Haley's gaze as he glanced down at her abdomen and spoke.

"I want to come clean Hales, to tell the truth about my involvement in the point shaving scam." Nathan said hesitantly.

When he'd finished, Nathan looked back up at Haley and saw a small smile cross her face. Haley reached up and placed her hand lovingly on the side of Nathan's face before responding.

"What will that mean for you?" Haley asked concerned.

Nathan sighed heavily before answering.

"I'll probably lose my scholarship at Duke," Nathan informed her. "And I doubt any other college will accept me after they discover the truth."

"You'd be happy not playing college basketball?" Haley asked him. "Nathan it's been your dream for so long, it's a huge part of your life…"

Nathan rubbed Haley's belly once more as he looked at it and smiled.

"Dreams change Haley." Nathan said glancing back up at her. "I thought about it seriously and I realised that I wouldn't be happy playing college basketball knowing what I'd compromised to get there, my honesty and integrity."

Haley leant her head against Nathan's chest as he continued.

"Basketball was my life for so long Hales." Nathan carried on. "But then you came along and showed me that there was more out there than just the game. You helped me become someone that I could be proud of, someone that you were proud of. Sure I could ride this out and go on to play college basketball, but I don't think I could get up every morning and look myself in the mirror."

Nathan paused for a moment and inhaled deeply, rubbing Haley's stomach once more.

"I'm going to be a dad soon," Nathan said wistfully. "We're going to be parents. I want to raise our son to understand the difference between right and wrong, to live a life that will make us proud and put him on the path to becoming a decent man one day. If he were in the same situation I'd want him to do the right thing, instead of being a lesser man and shying away from his mistakes."

Haley nodded looking up at Nathan affectionately.

"I would too," Haley agreed.

"I have to start leading by example Haley, being mature and owning up to my mistakes. I have to accept the consequences of my actions like I'd want our son to." Nathan said. "I want to be a man that he can look up to and be proud of Haley…"

"I think that you already are," Haley said smiling as she kissed him affectionately on the lips.

"Haley," Nathan begun hesitantly. "I need to know that you agree with my decision, not just that you're supporting it because you're my wife."

Haley kissed Nathan again before answering.

"I do," she said gazing at him lovingly. "Nathan, you made a mistake when you got involved with Dante, but you've learnt from it and now you willing to face up to that mistake. Deep down I knew you'd do the right thing because that's the person that I fell in love with. The person that I am in love with."

Nathan stroked Haley's hair as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Thank you," Nathan said sincerely.

"When are you going to tell everyone?" Haley asked entwining her fingers with Nathan's.

"Tomorrow at school," Nathan said in response.

Nathan sighed momentarily before adding, "Everyone's going to hate me."

"I don't think it'll be as bad as you think," Haley reassured him.

Nathan smiled sadly not convinced by Haley's optimism.

"Ouch," Haley said suddenly placing her hand over her stomach.

Nathan sat up quickly and turned to Haley, worry evident in his expression.

"Hales are you ok?" he asked panicked. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Haley laughed slightly at his concern.

"He's just kicking," Haley said placing Nathan's hand over the spot where she'd felt him kick. "It just took me by surprise that's all."

Nathan sighed with relief and smiled at Haley.

"Maybe he'll be a soccer player?" Nathan suggested playfully as he felt his son kick again.

Haley laughed at his suggestion.

"He's definitely got a good kick on him." She agreed.

Nathan paused a moment to look at Haley before speaking again.

"You know I heard you talking to him before." Nathan said putting his ear onto Haley's stomach. "Maybe we could ask him what he wants to be named?"

Haley looked at Nathan playfully and smiled.

"I already did," Haley said mischievously.

Nathan glanced up at her, his ear still pressed to her belly.

"What did he say?" Nathan asked playing along.

"He wants us to call him Brooke," Haley said laughing.

Nathan feigned a look of horror before laughing along.

"You know I have visions of Brooke teaching him to call you tutor-mom," Nathan said laughing.

"I'd kill her," Haley said laughing.

"She's totally going to lead him astray," Nathan carried on laughing. "She'll get him all hyped up on sugar when she's babysitting and then drop him back off in our care. You know she'll probably use him to pick up guys when she takes him to the park."

Haley laughed again.

"I can see her as the cool adult that he runs to when he's mad at us," Haley said smiling. "She'll solve his problems like she does hers…"

"You mean with chocolate cake and ice cream?" Nathan asked cutting Haley off.

"Yeah," Haley said. "Then she'll tell him to stop being a punk and go home because he keeps eating all her food."

"But he won't," Nathan said smiling. "He'll go to Lucas' instead."

"Lucas will sit him down and have a man to man talk." Haley said putting on a serious voice. "He'd get him to see sense and then take him down to the river court to shoot some hoops."

"Of course Peyton would get him addicted to her moody emo music which we'll have to listen to whenever he's angry or upset." Nathan said rubbing Haley's belly.

"That's even if we're all still around here," Haley said sadly. "I mean we could all be in completely different places after college. Peyton could be some working at some hot shot record label in LA, Lucas might be on a national book tour and Brooke could be…"

Haley trailed off with the sudden realisation that hit her.

Sensing this Nathan lifted his head off Haley's stomach and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You know what I predict?" Nathan said comfortingly as he kissed her forehead. "I think that in four years time, we'll all still be in touch. I can see us in the summer sitting outside in the garden of our house reminiscing about high school while baby…._ Brooke._" Nathan said throwing a look at Haley. "Plays on the swing set we bought him for his birthday."

Nathan paused for a moment as Haley leant her head on his shoulder.

"Of course Brooke will probably be on it with him," Nathan said thoughtfully. "The sound of Peyton's music will be blaring from the radio whilst the two of you talk about your next record. Me and Luke will be playing a one on one game of basketball and Mouth will be running the grill whilst Skills and Bevin make out nearby."

Haley smiled as she pictured the scene in her head and kissed Nathan passionately.

"You really believe that?" Haley asked him.

"Yeah," Nathan said thinking about it. "I do."

"I love you," Haley said smiling and kissing him once again.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's Café)**

Following his discussion with Abby, Lucas had called Mouth and asked him to meet the pair of them at Karen's café before he had to return home for dinner with his mom and Dan.

Mouth arrived at the café shortly after Lucas and Abby had and took a seat beside the brunette girl in the booth where they were sitting.

Once seated Lucas briefly updated Mouth on his and Abby's earlier conversation before asking him how he'd gotten on with the second phase of their plan this afternoon.

At the question Mouth smiled and reached for something in his pocket, pulling out the keys Lucas had given him earlier and placing them on the table in front of him.

Lucas picked up the keys and returned them to his own pocket as Mouth explained everything he'd done earlier that day. Lucas grinned widely as Mouth recalled entering Dan's house and planting the pictures of Keith across his walls, how he'd painted the words dictated by Lucas underneath them and vandalised the mirror.

Just then Mouth picked up his school bag from under the table in front of him and placed it in the same position he'd put the keys only moments ago. Lucas glanced between Mouth and the bag questioningly for a moment, before frowning and looking once again at Mouth across the table.

"What's this?" Lucas asked puzzled.

Mouth pushed the bag across the table to Lucas with his hand and glanced briefly at Abby.

"Open it," Mouth said matter of factly.

Lucas undid the zip on the bag and was just about to reach inside when Mouth suddenly added, "Just, uh…. don't take it out."

Lucas looked at him confused but did as Mouth suggested and glanced into the bag. When he saw the object lying inside it, Lucas understood the meaning of Mouth's previous command.

"Where did you get this?" Lucas asked zipping up the bag and putting back under the table out of the way.

"I found it," Mouth said. "In the lounge at Dan's house."

"What is it?" Abby asked confused as she glanced between Mouth and Lucas.

Mouth lifted his hand up from the table so that his thumb was pointing up and his index finger was pointing forward. As Abby watched Mouth jerked his hand as though firing a gun.

Abby looked slightly surprised but seemed to understand Mouth's meaning.

"You think its Jimmy's?" Abby asked curiously.

Mouth and Lucas glanced at each other for a moment, obvious understanding registering on their faces.

"Does it look similar?" Lucas asked both Mouth and Abby.

Although Lucas had gotten a glimpse of the gun that day as he'd carried Peyton out of the school, his mind had been focused elsewhere and he'd not committed the image to memory.

Mouth shrugged.

"It could be," he said hesitantly. "But I can't be sure, I mean, everything sort of happened so fast that day that I didn't really take it all in."

Lucas bent down and picked up the school bag from where he'd placed it on the floor before passing it to Abby for her to have a look. As Abby unzipped the bag Lucas couldn't help but hope that the gun was the same as Dan had used that day. If Dan's prints were on the gun and they could prove that it was in fact the same one used to kill Keith, perhaps they could use it as evidence against him.

As Abby returned the bag to the floor she looked between Mouth and Lucas' enquiry expressions.

"I don't know," she said finally. "I mean it could be…"

"But you can't be certain?" Lucas asked her.

Abby shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she answered. "I didn't really get a good look."

"Don't worry about it," Lucas said quickly glancing at his watch. "By the time we've finished with Dan, we won't need it."

Mouth frowned slightly at Lucas' words.

"What have you got planned?" he asked curiously.

"I invited Dan over for dinner with me and my mom tonight," Lucas said a small smile creeping across his face.

"I take it you've already started the next phase of the plan then?" Mouth asked smiling at Lucas.

Lucas nodded his response.

"He believed every word I told him," Lucas said his smile growing bigger as he continued. "If the last time I saw him is anything to go by, then the pictures and writing on his walls will only help to aid his paranoia."

Lucas picked up the bag from the floor and held it up in front of Abby and Mouth.

"I guarantee the first thing he did after reading the messages was to look for this," Lucas said returning the bag to the floor. "He'll be missing it now which means he'll feel vulnerable."

"We should take advantage of that," Mouth said.

Abby nodded in response.

"I agree," she said looking towards Lucas and reading his expression. "But you already have an idea don't you?"

Lucas nodded and leant over the table so that he was closer to them.

"Here's what I want you to do," Lucas whispered to the two of them.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care)**

After Brooke had returned to bed, Peyton had needed to use the bathroom and had left her alone in the room.

Since Peyton had left Brooke had been staring at the clock on the wall without much to do except watch silently as the seconds tick by, quickly followed by minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Brooke was beginning to get worried when suddenly the door to her room opened and Peyton appeared in the entrance carrying a bag in her left hand.

"You've been gone ages P. Sawyer," Brooke said as Peyton closed the door behind her and made her way towards the bed. "I was starting to worry that you'd fallen in or something?"

"Yeah I did," Peyton said taking the seat beside Brooke's bed and placing the white plastic bag on her lap. "Because my ass is small enough to fit, unlike yours."

Peyton winked at Brooke before continuing playfully.

"You know what I found at the bottom of the toilet?" Peyton asked smiling.

"Uh…a plastic bag," Brooke said gesturing to the bag on her lap.

"That," Peyton said picking up the bag and removing the items from inside it. "And the gift shop."

At this Brooke's expression lit up.

"You buy me a present?" she asked eagerly.

Peyton handed Brooke a couple of magazines she'd picked up for her at the shop before removing a pack of playing cards from the bag.

"Thanks P. Sawyer," Brooke said flicking quickly through the pages of the first magazine.

"I decided you were right," Peyton said removing the cards from the pack and shuffling them in her hands. "It is seriously boring in here, so I decided we could use some entertainment."

Brooke looked at the cards in Peyton's hand and raised her eyebrow questioningly as Peyton pulled Brooke's side table between the two of them.

"What did you have in mind?" Brooke asked her interestedly as she placed the magazines back in her lap.

"I don't know," Peyton said honestly. "You're normally the one that comes up with this stuff."

Brooke watched as Peyton placed the deck of cards on the table in front of her.

"We could play strip poker?" Brooke suggested.

Peyton laughed at Brooke's offer.

"Brooke, you're only wearing one item of clothing," Peyton said smiling.

"So?" Brooke asked her.

Peyton made a point of glancing down at her attire before answering.

"You're wearing one item of clothing compared to my whole ensemble," Peyton elaborated. "I'm wearing socks and everything."

Brooke seemed to think about this for a moment and suddenly understood Peyton's reasoning.

"Good point," she said finally.

Suddenly Peyton's watched beeped, registering that another hour was just beginning. At the noise Brooke glanced at the clock on the wall.

"What time are you heading back to the motel?" Brooke asked her curiously. "I mean you need to sleep Peyton."

"Actually," Peyton said hesitantly. "I checked all our things out this morning when I left, Lucas took the majority home with him, but I've got some of you're stuff in the car. I thought I'd spend the night here with you…"

"Peyton…" Brooke began to protest.

"Brooke," Peyton interrupted. "I wouldn't be able to sleep there anyway, besides I rather be here with you. I can keep you company."

"But where are you going to sleep?" Brooke asked obviously touched by Peyton's gesture. "And what if I have to stay again tomorrow?"

"Firstly, I'm not all that tired," Peyton, answered honestly. "And secondly I was going to deal with that when the time came."

"I'm not tired either," Brooke agreed as she reached her hand down and touched Peyton's in a gesture of thanks. "I mean I've been asleep for the majority of today anyway, there's only so much one person can get in twenty four hours."

"Perfect," Peyton said picking up the cards and waving them in front of Brooke. "So we can keep each other entertained then."

Brooke smiled and took the cards from Peyton's hands.

"You want to play father with a twist?" Brooke asked raising her eyebrow playfully.

"Depends," Peyton said smiling. "What's the twist?"

"Loser has to tell the other person a secret," Brooke said shuffling the cards in her hand.

Peyton seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding her head and smiling.

"Ok," Peyton said laughing. "Deal."

At Peyton's command, Brooke laid two cards on the table face down, one before Peyton, the other in front of her.

Peyton turned her card over to reveal a queen.

"Beat that," she said playfully.

Brooke turned over her card to reveal a two of clubs.

"Damn it," Brooke said picking up the cards and placing them to one side.

"I believe you owe me a secret B. Davis." Peyton said leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms in front of her teasingly.

"Ok," Brooke said seemingly thinking about a secret she could tell Peyton. "Although you already know most of my secrets…"

"Hey," Peyton said shrugging. "I didn't make up the rules here."

"Ah ha," Brooke said raising her finger in front of her.

Peyton laughed as she waited for Brooke to reveal her secret.

"Our freshmen year of high school…" Brooke started.

Peyton groaned as a thought suddenly came to her.

"Oh God," Peyton said smiling as she looked at Brooke. "I have a feeling I know where this is going."

"I don't think so," Brooke said laughing.

Peyton watched her for a moment intrigued until Brooke finally continued.

"Ok, so freshmen year of high school, you remember I had like a major crush on Billy Carson?" Brooke asked.

"Wait… he was a senior right?" Peyton asked trying to remember.

"Yeah," Brooke answered smiling.

Brooke paused for a moment before continuing.

"Well… I kind of threw up on him." Brooke finished.

"Kind of?" Peyton asked a grin appearing on her face.

"Ok, so I totally threw up on him." Brooke corrected.

"When?" Peyton asked laughing.

"It was at a party. I'd had a little too much to drink and he was just…in the wrong place at the wrong time…so to speak." Brooke answered.

"Oh my god," Peyton said still laughing. "How come I never heard this before?"

"Well, I was outside at the time feeling a little worse for wear, when he came out to smoke a cigarette." Brooke explained.

"Still," Peyton said. "Billy was a jerk, I'm surprised he didn't spread it around the whole school."

"He couldn't," Brooke said smirking.

Peyton raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Why?" she asked drawing out the word.

"Well because after I threw up on him, he suddenly turned extremely pale and threw up himself." Brooke said laughing.

Peyton continued to laugh at Brooke's secret before asking her a question.

"Why did you never tell me this story?" Peyton asked her.

"Because P. Sawyer," Brooke said playfully. "I had a reputation to uphold, I couldn't let it leak out that I couldn't handle my drink."

Peyton smiled at Brooke.

"Nice," she said as she shook her head.

"What did you think I was going to tell you?" Brooke asked interestedly.

Peyton grinned mischievously.

"Well when you win, maybe I'll tell you," Peyton teased her.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she dealt another hand of cards and they continued to play.


	16. Chapter 16

**(Tree Hill: Dan's House)**

After reading the message scrawled across his mirror in red paint, Dan had picked up a nearby lamp from his dresser and hurled it full force towards the reflective surface. Upon contact the mirror had shattered into a thousand shards, which then fell to the floor at Dan's feet.

Slowly Dan squatted down and picked up one of the pieces of the now broken mirror from the floor. Gradually he lifted the mirror up to eye level and looked at the reflection of himself cast from it. As his made eye contact with himself, Dan quickly lowered the mirror and dropped it back onto the floor beside him.

The reflection that he'd seen looking back at him, the cold, harsh eyes that he'd met belonged to a person that he no longer recognised. These past years Dan had worked hard to achieve his aims, to make something of himself and largely he'd been successful. He was now seated in a position of power as mayor of Tree Hill; town residents for the most part respected him. However, Dan had lost his way on his quest for power, he'd become someone that he could no longer bear to look at, someone that he loathed and was ashamed of.

What he longed for more than anything now was absolution. Absolution from the crimes he had committed, forgiveness from the people that he had hurt. These last few weeks Dan had felt he was finally beginning to get that from Karen, that she was once again letting him into her life. He felt that they were moving forward at last, that they were putting the past behind them.

As much as Dan was thankful to being given a second chance at last, he knew deep down that it was all a lie. That the trust he'd managed to gain from Karen since Keith's death wasn't real because she didn't know the truth. If she did, Dan knew that Karen would want nothing to do with him, that he'd lose everything and everyone around him in a heartbeat.

Ever since he'd been spending more time with Karen, Dan's guilt over Keith's death had only intensified. He could see the net closing in around him, felt suffocated by the constant need to cover his tracks and hide his involvement. It was only a matter of time before the truth came out, he could feel the noose slowly tightening around his neck, as his secret was closer to being exposed. Dan knew that when it eventually did they'd throw the book at him. In fact, a part of him was longing for it, to end this game of cat and mouse once and for all.

That's what it had been at first, just a game. That had all changed when he'd discovered that it'd been Deb that had tried to kill him and not Keith. Initially it had been a personal challenge, to see how long he could hide his guilt from the world. However, he'd not betted on Deb's revelation and shortly after he'd been consumed by guilt especially on discovering that Karen was expecting Keith's child.

Since that moment, Dan had felt as though he was trying to stay ahead of time. He knew that someday the truth would out. The question was when would that moment be? The truth catches up with everyone eventually, just like time.

_**Tick Tock Danny Tick Tock.**_

Dan knew that the time was fast approaching when he'd be exposed for the murder that he is. There were only two possibilities that he'd be faced with when that happened, jail and death. It would be at that time when Dan would have to decide, either to live with the choices he'd made and suffer the consequences of his mistakes in a cell or to put an end to his guilt by ending it all.

As Dan slowly stood from his squatted position on the floor, he glanced momentarily at the clock sitting beside his bed registering the time. On seeing the time, Dan realised that he was supposed to be at Karen's for dinner any minute now and so slowly he left his room and made his way downstairs.

As Dan headed towards the door, he stopped momentarily in the lounge, glancing one last time at the words written across his walls. Dan knew that his gun was missing but at this moment in time, he had no further interest in locating it. When the time eventually came when he'd have to make that final choice, then he'd worry about it.

Dan believed that whoever had taken the gun, meant him no harm or else they'd have waited around and used it by now instead of leaving taunting messages across his wall. Whoever that person was, Dan was going to make sure they he made them suffer from attempting to mess with him. He might feel guilty about killing Keith, he might know that he'd get caught eventually, but one thing Dan Scott was not about to tolerate was being made a fool out of.

As Dan was leaving, he picked up his keys from the side table where he'd placed them earlier and exited the house, closing the door slowly behind him.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care)**

For the last thirty minutes, Brooke and Peyton had continued to play father with a twist. So far Brooke had managed to lose every single game and Peyton had come to the conclusion that there was definitely more to her friend than even she'd realised. Brooke had shared a multitude of secrets with Peyton, most frivolous and embarrassing anecdotes that had occurred whilst she'd been drunk at one of the numerous parties they'd attended over the years.

Peyton was still recovering from the fit of laughter that had consumed her after Brooke's latest admission when she looked at her friend. A large smile was plastered across Peyton's face as she caught her breath and spoke.

"God Brooke," Peyton said still laughing slightly. "I can't believe you did that."

Peyton paused for a moment when she saw Brooke raise her eyebrow questioningly and smile.

"Ok," Peyton said nodding her head and laughing again. "That does totally sound like something you would do… I just can't believe that your parents didn't throw you out on your ass after they came home, that's all?"

Brooke shrugged as she threw Peyton a mischievous look.

"Well," Brooke said grinning. "How could they possibly be mad about something they didn't know about?"

"Brooke…" Peyton said laughing. "There was a massive hole in the side of your house… how the hell did you keep that from them? In fact, how the hell did you keep that from me?"

"Well now," Brooke said teasingly. "That's a completely different secret…but I promise I'll tell you if you win the next game."

"Let's see," Peyton said pretending to think for a moment and laughing to herself. "I've won the last eighteen games so the odds are kind of in my favour."

"Actually," Brooke said a superior expression on her face. "I've been letting you win on purpose… you know, to lure you into a false sense of security."

"Whatever," Peyton said laughing and punching Brooke playfully on the arm.

Brooke feigned shock at Peyton's action but quickly dealt the cards once again.

Peyton picked the card, which was lying face down on the table before her and picked it up, turning it over to look at.

Following this, Peyton glanced up to look at Brooke who was watching her closely.

"So?" Brooke said drawing out the word as she spoke it. "What did you get?"

Peyton placed the card down face up on the table for Brooke to look at.

"Queen," Peyton said sitting back in her chair smugly.

Peyton couldn't help but grin when she saw the defeated expression appear on Brooke's face at her words.

"Looks like I'll get to hear the end of that story after all," Peyton said smiling.

Suddenly, Brooke glanced up at Peyton and smiled knowingly as she placed her card face up on the table in front of her.

"Father," Brooke said simply.

Peyton peered at the card Brooke had placed on the table, her Mouth opened widely in disbelief.

"I guess this time it's your turn to tell me a secret Blondie," Brooke said satisfactorily.

"Wait a minute," Peyton said leaning forward in her chair swiftly. "You got a king… but how... I mean…Brooke, you suck at this game…."

"Ah…but do I?" Brooke asked mockingly.

"Yeah," Peyton said in response. "I mean you've lost the last eighteen games in a row."

"I already told you…" Brooke began laughing.

"I know you fixed it?" Peyton asked her incredulous. "But how? I mean Brooke I've been watching you the whole time."

"Maybe I'll tell you," Brooke considered playfully. "You know, next time you win a game. Although…" she continued glancing at the deck in her hands suggestively. "I don't see that happening again any time soon."

When Brooke looked back up at Peyton she saw a small smile cross her blonde friends lips as she shook her head in wonder.

"So you going to tell me what it was you were going to ask me earlier or what?" Brooke prompted her.

Peyton considered Brooke's question for a moment before finally relenting.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "I suppose it's only fair."

Brooke nodded her head in agreement and smiled.

"If you get to hear about how I got locked out of my house semi naked, then yes, it is definitely fair." Brooke responded.

Peyton laughed remembering another earlier secret Brooke had shared with her.

"Before I tell you," Peyton started seriously. "There's one thing you have to promise…"

"Ok," Brooke cut her off puzzled.

"You cannot get mad at me, ok?" Peyton asked Brooke quietly.

"Wait," Brooke began confusion registering on her face. "I thought you said it wasn't anything bad?"

Peyton frowned slightly at Brooke's question and raised her hands in front of her.

"It's not." She said unconvincingly.

"Then why do I have to promise not to get mad?" Brooke asked her.

"I just…I don't want to upset you or anything…" Peyton said.

"You think this will upset me?" Brooke interrupted quickly, concern in her voice.

"I don't know," Peyton sighed. "I just…our friendship has only recently got back to normal…I don't want to say anything that might jeopardise it now."

Peyton stared at Brooke as she noticed the anxious look on her face.

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me?" Brooke said worriedly.

"Brooke…" Peyton began.

"No…I mean…there must be a reason you're worried about telling me…" Brooke rationalised. "I don't want to know…"

Peyton ran her fingers through her hair momentarily as she came to a decision.

"Tough," she said finally.

"Tough?" Brooke asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going to ask you anyway." Peyton informed her seriously.

Brooke looked at Peyton taken a back slightly by her sudden change in attitude.

"Uh…Peyton…you really don't have to do this…" Brooke said trying to deter her.

Initially she'd been intrigued to know what it had been that Peyton was going to ask her earlier, but now, after hearing Peyton's doubts about how'd she would react to the question, Brooke wasn't sure she wanted to find out after all.

"There's two things," Peyton began ignoring Brooke's previous comments.

"Peyton…" Brooke said again pleadingly.

Peyton disregarded Brooke's protests once more before continuing to ask the two things that she'd wanted to earlier this evening. When Peyton had finished, Brooke just continued to stare at her speechless for a moment and Peyton had difficulty reading the expression of shock evident on her friends face.

**(Tree Hill: Karen's House)**

After leaving his house, Dan had driven his car over to Karen's and now stood before her door, hand poised inches from it as he debated knocking. For a moment, Dan maintained the position in front of the door, uncertain whether or not having dinner with both Karen and Lucas was a good idea.

Although Dan now doubted Lucas' knowledge of his involvement in Keith's death he could not be certain that he was not toying with him. Dan shook the thought from his mind, dismissing it as ludicrous. Lucas was smart, but Dan had a hard time believing that he would be able to maintain his composure around him, knowing that he'd killed Keith and not Jimmy Edwards.

If Dan knew Lucas like he thought he did, his son would want revenge and justice for both Keith and Jimmy as soon as possible. He'd be brash and emotional, not calculated. On this realisation, Dan finally allowed his fist to make contact with the door and a loud knock could be heard as he rapped his knuckles against the wood.

After knocking, Dan dropped his hand to his side, waiting patiently for someone to answer. Eventually, Dan heard footsteps inside the house as they approached where he was standing. The front door opened slowly before Dan and revealed a smiling Lucas standing before him, one hand placed on the door whilst the other rested gently on the frame opposite.

"Evening son," Dan said smiling at Lucas.

"Dan," Lucas said nodding his head slightly in greeting but snubbing his father's familiar tone.

Before Lucas could invite Dan in, his mother came up behind him, wiping her hands on the tea towel she was holding.

"Evening Dan," Karen greeted kindly before asking. "Would you like to come in?"

"Karen," Dan said bowled over.

As she stood before him, Dan stared at Karen in awe for a moment, trying to remember back to a time when he'd ever seen her looking more beautiful, more glowing than she was in this moment.

"Uh, yes thank you." He finished after a moment still not moving from his position on the porch.

Reading both Lucas' and Karen's questioning expressions, Dan suddenly realised that he'd not taken his eyes off Karen and quickly shook his head to force himself into action.

"Uh here," Dan said holding out a bouquet of flowers that he'd been holding in his other hand for Karen to take.

"Oh, Dan." Karen said placing one hand over her chest and grasping the flowers with her other. "They're beautiful…"

"It's just to say thank you for having me to dinner tonight," Dan said smiling at Karen and causing Lucas to roll his eyes as he watched the exchange between the two.

"Well you're welcome anytime," Karen said genuinely.

Lucas fought the urge to look at his mom in obvious disbelief or glare threateningly at Dan. Instead he opted to move out of Dan's way and allow him into the house.

Dan smiled at Karen's words as she turned and began to make her way into the kitchen. Dan nodded to Lucas in thanks as he passed him and entered the house after Karen, following her down the hallway. Lucas watched after Dan for a moment shaking his head slowly from side to side. Once Dan and his mom were out of sight, Lucas turned back to close the door shut and follow after them.

As he looked back into the night outside, Lucas noticed Mouth and Abby walking slowly up the path towards him and a small smile came to his lips. Lucas gave them a meaningful look as they continued to make their way towards the house before slowly closing the front door on them and making his way to join Dan and his mom in the kitchen for dinner.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital: Intensive Care Unit)**

Peyton disregarded Brooke's protests once more before continuing to ask the two things that she'd wanted to earlier this evening.

"_Firstly," Peyton started confidently. "I wanted to ask you if you remembered what I'd asked you last night at the motel? Whether you still wanted to move into your old apartment with me now that Nathan and Haley have moved out?"_

_For a moment Brooke just stared at Peyton, her expression changing from one of worry to relief. Brooke smiled at Peyton, nodding her head in the affirmative._

"_Yeah of course," Brooke responded honestly as she suddenly recalled Peyton's offer from last night._

_The truth was that until she'd just mentioned it, Brooke had completely forgotten about Peyton's offer to be roommates once again. She was extremely happy to hear that offer once more now._

_Peyton closed her eyes for a moment before eventually asking Brooke the question she'd wanted to ask her since they'd made up following prom._

"_Did you know?" Peyton asked her hesitantly. "When you broke up with Lucas, did you know that you had cancer Brooke? Is that why you broke up with him?"_

When Peyton had finished, Brooke just continued to stare at her speechless for a moment and Peyton had difficulty reading the expression of shock evident on her friends face.


	17. Chapter 17

**(Tree Hill: Karen's House)**

After re-entering the house, Lucas closed the front door firmly behind him, leaving Mouth and Abby outside as planned. As Lucas made his way down the corridor towards the kitchen he could smell the scent of his mom's cooking and hear her laughter as she spoke with Dan. Lucas stood hidden outside the kitchen for a moment as he listened to the effect that Dan was having on his mother.

Lucas had known that Karen had been enjoying Dan's company recently and at first he'd been happy that she'd had someone to talk to other then himself following Keith's death. However, now that he knew about Dan's hand in his uncles demise, the sound of his mom laughing at his jokes and behaving as though they were one happy family grated on Lucas' nerves.

As he stood in the hallway, Lucas could feel himself tense up, his fist clenched tightly by his side. It took all of Lucas' self-control to stop himself from bursting into the kitchen and forcing Dan through a window. Lucas counted to ten slowly as he attempted to regain his composure. Deep down he knew that violence was not the answer to solving his problems. That although hitting Dan would make him feel better at that moment, it would not get justice for Keith and Jimmy.

Lucas knew that if he was truly going to make Dan suffer for his sins he would have to bide his time. If Lucas went at Dan all guns blazing, he'd go on the defensive and deny everything and that was the last thing that Lucas wanted to happen. If it came down to Dan's word against his, Lucas knew that the mayor of Tree Hill would win every time.

Even though Abby had witnessed Dan murder Keith, Lucas knew that Dan could easily discredit her testimony. No, if Lucas was going to bring down Dan Scott he needed to play him at his own game.

Lucas took a deep breath as he stood in the hallway before unclenching his fist and entering the kitchen to join Dan and his mom. Dan was sitting at the kitchen table as Karen placed the potatoes and vegetables into serving dishes.

Lucas approached his mom and placed his hand gently on her back. Karen looked around at the sudden contact and smiled when she saw Lucas standing beside her.

"Dinner smells good mom," Lucas said kindly as Karen turned to carry the dishes to the table. "Here." Lucas stopped her. "Let me take those for you."

Lucas took the serving dishes from Karen and carried them over to the table, placing them down in front of Dan.

"Thank you Lucas," Karen said appreciatively to her son as she too made her way to the table.

Karen took an empty seat opposite Dan whilst Lucas sat slowly in the seat beside him. Lucas smiled to himself when he noticed that Karen was sitting with her back to the kitchen window, allowing Dan a full view of whatever may be outside.

Lucas watched as his mom offered Dan a plate of chicken, whilst he served himself some potatoes and vegetables.

"This all looks great Karen," Dan said as he gratefully accepted the plate to take a couple of slices. "Thank you for inviting me over tonight."

"Well," Karen said smiling as she took the bowl of vegetables from Lucas' offered hand. "You've got Lucas to thank for that. This was all his idea."

Dan glanced at Lucas and smiled.

"Really?" Dan asked slightly surprised.

Initially when Lucas had asked him over for dinner earlier today, Dan had believed him to be up to something. However, when he'd realised that Lucas had known nothing about his involvement with Keith's death he'd just assumed that the invite had come from Karen through Lucas. Not that it had been Lucas' idea to begin with.

"Yeah, it's like I said earlier today." Lucas said smiling at Dan. "You've been a great support to my mom since we lost Keith…"

Lucas emphasized the last sentence notably, reaching over the table to squeeze his mom's hand at the mention of Keith's name before continuing.

"I know that she'd really enjoyed your company and I guess I just figured that if you were going to be around a lot more now, that maybe we should spend some time together." Lucas continued. "You know, get to know each other a little better."

Dan smiled at Lucas' words before throwing Karen a quick glance.

"I'd really like that son." Dan said nodding his head as he started to eat his dinner.

Karen smiled at Lucas too, squeezing his hand in hers before she finally released it and the pair of them followed Dan and began to eat the meal in front of them.

For a couple of minutes, there was complete silence at the table as the three of them enjoyed their meal together. However, that silence was suddenly broken as Dan dropped his fork on the floor with a loud clatter.

Both Lucas and Karen peered up quickly from their dinners to look at the stunned expression on Dan's face. Hurriedly, Lucas glanced in the direction Dan was looking and saw Mouth standing at the kitchen window, staring threateningly at his father. Lucas smiled inwardly and glanced back at Dan.

"Dan?" Karen asked concern on her voice. "Are you ok?"

Dan shook his head momentarily before looking quickly towards Karen and the back at the kitchen window. This time both Lucas and Karen followed his gaze to look out the kitchen window and into the dark night outside.

"Dan?" Lucas asked trying to suppress a smile. "What's wrong?"

On seeing that Mouth was no longer standing where he'd been only moments before Dan shook his once again as he answered.

"Uh…nothing." Dan said, a look of confusion flashing across his face. "I thought I saw something outside that's all…it just startled me."

As he finished Dan leant down from his chair to pick up the fork, which he'd dropped onto the floor in his surprise.

"Here," Lucas said standing from his seat and offering out his hand as Dan picked up the fork. "Let me get you another one."

"Thank you," Dan said kindly as he handed Lucas the fork.

As Lucas walked over to place the dirty fork in the basin, he listened to his mom speak to Dan once more.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked him still not convinced by his first answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dan said a little more convincingly than he had previously, an obvious false smile across his face. "It must be my age." Dan joked. "My eyes aren't what they used to be anymore."

"Well, as long as you're sure." Karen said continuing with her dinner.

Dan watched Lucas as he found another fork in the kitchen draw and began to return to the table. As Lucas got nearer and unobscured the kitchen window, Dan saw a small brown haired girl standing in the same position that the boy had been just before.

Lucas held out the fork in front of Dan and looked at him closely as he stared once more out the window.

"Hey Dan," Lucas said trying to get his attention. "Do you want this?"

Dan snapped out of his trance for a moment frowning and took the fork Lucas had offered to him.

"Sorry," he apologised, glancing back at the window to find the girl gone.

Dan cleared his throat momentarily before smiling at Lucas and composing himself. Slowly Dan began cutting a piece of meat on his plate as he looked at Lucas and spoke.

"So Lucas," he started throwing discrete nervous glances towards the window every few seconds. "How was your road trip?"

Lucas continued to eat the food before him as he answered.

"Yeah it was good," Lucas said as politely as he could manage. "Well…I mean up until Brooke was taken sick."

"Brooke Davis?" Dan asked curiously.

Lucas nodded the affirmative, turning to look at his mom on hearing her voice.

"Have you heard anything more from Peyton?" Karen asked Lucas concerned.

"No," Lucas answered her honestly. "Not since that last phone call. I'm taking no news as good news at this point."

"What's wrong with her?" Dan asked still devouring the food from his plate.

Lucas swallowed hard before answering Dan's question. He could tell that Dan was attempting to be interested in his story but for some reason he didn't like the thought of him knowing about what Brooke was going through at the moment. For some unexplained reason, Lucas felt he needed to protect Brooke from Dan's prying and hearing him mention her name as though he knew her, made Lucas' blood boil.

"She uh…" Lucas begun, not sure what he should say.

"She had a fall," Karen said, sensing Lucas' reluctance to answer the question. "She had a pretty bad concussion so they decided to keep her in over night…that's all."

Lucas threw his mom an appreciative look and smiled her a thanks. He was glad that she'd omitted most of the facts from the story and wondered if she knew he'd not wanted Dan to know about it.

"I'm sorry," Dan said on hearing this and for a moment Lucas believed that he'd heard sincerity in his fathers voice. "Will she be ok?"

"Yeah," Lucas said trying to act civil towards Dan even though with every question he could feel anger rising within once more. "It's uh…it's just a precaution really."

Every moment that Lucas had to pretend to be nice to Dan was extremely difficult for him and with each nice comment or remark he made to either Lucas or his mom. He had to remember what Dan had done and what he'd taken from them.

Lucas could see exactly how Dan had won his mom over the last couple of months. He was extremely good at pretending to be the supportive father figure or friend. So good in fact that even Lucas had trouble not falling for it. That's what was making him so angry. It wasn't what Dan was saying, but how Lucas was reacting. He was angry with himself for letting Dan get to him and believing what he was saying.

"Good," Dan said genuinely glancing at the kitchen window momentarily. "I'm glad that she'll be…."

Before Dan could finish his sentence, he'd flung himself from his chair onto the kitchen floor terrified. At seeing this, both Karen and Lucas had stood from their chairs and approached him worriedly.

"Dan?" Karen asked concern in her voice. "Are you ok? What just happened?"

"Here," Lucas said offering Dan his hand. "Let me help you up."

Dan looked at Lucas' hand hesitantly before finally accepting it and letting Lucas help him up from the floor.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Lucas asked Dan once he was standing before him.

Dan patted down his chest before looking at Lucas and answering.

"No," he said alarm in his voice. "No I'm ok."

"Well, did you fall?" Lucas asked making a concentrated effort to check the chair Dan had been sitting on for damage or fault.

"Uh… I just slipped." Dan said shaking slightly. "I'm ok now though."

Dan turned to Karen as he sat back in his chair.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you." He apologised.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Karen asked him still concerned.

"Yeah," Lucas continued. "I mean you look kind of pale. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Dan glanced back towards the window as Lucas and Karen watched him closely. Only moments ago the brown haired girl had been standing at that window, pointing Dan's own handgun directly at his head. Now though, both the girl and the gun were gone.

"Yeah," Dan said swallowing hard. "Yeah, I'm fine."

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

_**Peyton disregarded Brooke's protests once more before continuing to ask the two things that she'd wanted to earlier this evening.**_

"_**Firstly," Peyton started confidently. "I wanted to ask you if you remembered what I'd asked you last night at the motel? Whether you still wanted to move into your old apartment with me now that Nathan and Haley have moved out?"**_

_**For a moment Brooke just stared at Peyton, her expression changing from one of worry to relief. Brooke smiled at Peyton, nodding her head in the affirmative.**_

"_**Yeah of course," Brooke responded honestly as she suddenly recalled Peyton's offer from last night.**_

_**The truth was that until she'd just mentioned it, Brooke had completely forgotten about Peyton's offer to be roommates once again. She was extremely happy to hear that offer once more now.**_

_**Peyton closed her eyes for a moment before eventually asking Brooke the question she'd wanted to ask her since they'd made up following prom.**_

"_**Did you know?" Peyton asked her hesitantly. "When you broke up with Lucas, did you know that you had cancer Brooke? Is that why you broke up with him?"**_

_**When Peyton had finished, Brooke just continued to stare at her speechless for a moment and Peyton had difficulty reading the expression of shock evident on her friends face.**_

For a moment, Brooke didn't respond to Peyton's question, instead averting her gaze from her friends and playing nervously with her hands. Peyton watched Brooke closely as she picked with the cannula in the back of her right hand and caused it to bleed a little.

Peyton sprung forward when she realised that Brooke could hurt herself and placed her hand over Brooke's to stop her from making the wound bleed anymore than it already was. Brooke ignored Peyton's touch whilst she leant over to retrieve a tissue from the box on the table and hold it over Brooke's hand to help stem the blood that was flowing from the site.

Peyton cursed herself inwardly as Brooke closed her eyes and rested her head back against the bed, fearing that she was about to shut her out once more.

"Brooke?" Peyton said almost inaudibly.

As Brooke rest back against the bed, Peyton noticed her inhale deeply and for a moment, she panicked that she'd caused Brooke to hyperventilate again.

"Brooke?" she pressed again cautiously.

Peyton could not fully understand Brooke's reaction to her second question. She felt that if Brooke were still harbouring feelings for Lucas she would have been angry at the insinuation. More than anything Peyton felt that Brooke was hurt that she'd even suggested the idea, but now that it was out in the open there was no way to take it back again.

Brooke continued to take deep breaths as she lay with her head against the bed and Peyton reached up and placed her free hand on the side of Brooke's face. The sudden contact to her face made Brooke open her eyes and look directly at Peyton, finally meeting her gaze.

At this, Peyton removed her hand hesitantly from Brooke's face. The look Brooke had given her was so intense, so penetrating that it made Peyton uncomfortable and this time it was her turn to avert her gaze momentarily.

In all the years that they'd known each other, Peyton had thought she could read Brooke's eyes as though she was staring at her own in the mirror. When Brooke was upset or angry on the inside, it wasn't her face that betrayed her emotion the most. It was her eyes. Brooke could pretend to be happy on the inside, but all Peyton had to do was read her eyes to know how she was really feeling.

Looking into Brooke's eyes now, Peyton saw something that she'd never seen in the entire ten years she'd known her. There was nothing. Brooke's eyes were dead. Cold even. Peyton felt as though she was looking straight through Brooke and that feeling made her shiver inside.

As far as Peyton could tell, Brooke wasn't angry or upset about the question. She wasn't anything.

When Peyton eventually worked up the courage to look back towards her friend, she was surprised to hear Brooke's voice as she spoke.

"Why do you want to know?" Brooke asked her quietly her voice steady and betraying no emotion as she sat up again from the bed to be closer to Peyton.

Peyton was taken aback slightly by the question but decided now was not the time to be dishonest with Brooke.

Peyton continued to meet Brooke's gaze as she answered hesitantly.

"I need to know if you still love him Brooke," Peyton asked her almost imperceptibly.

Brooke rubbed her head at the response and Peyton watched as blood ran down her hand and dripped onto the white sheet from where she'd picked the cannula.

Suddenly Brooke laughed to herself and Peyton threw her a confused look.

"Why are you laughing?" Peyton asked puzzled by Brooke's response.

Brooke lowered her hand from her head as she answered Peyton's question.

"Because," Brooke said steadily, her voice raspy from where she was dehydrated. "Lucas asked me the exact same question earlier today."

Peyton's mouth opened in surprise at Brooke's revelation. As she thought about it now, she wondered whether he'd been thinking the same thing that she had. Did he believe that Brooke had only broken up with him to hide the fact that she was ill? To make it easier on him should the worst happen to her? If that were the case, Peyton wondered if it would change anything between them? Was Lucas only with her because he couldn't have Brooke? And if so, would the knowledge that Brooke had pushed him away to protect him make Lucas want to get back with her?

"Uh…" Peyton started in shock. "Well…what did you say?" Peyton asked swallowing hard, not knowing whether she wanted to hear the answer or not.

"I told him I didn't know about the cancer before we broke up." Brooke answered simply.

"You did?" Peyton questioned lightly feeling relieved by Brooke's reply.

"Yeah," Brooke answered watching Peyton closely. "But I lied to him, Peyton…the truth is that I did know… I knew before I broke up with him."

For a moment, Peyton stared at Brooke in disbelief not wanting to believe what she was hearing. Peyton avoided Brooke's gaze for a moment to stare at a spot on the wall in front of her.

As she next spoke, Peyton closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly to stare at her hands.

"You remember how I told you that… that I wouldn't say anything to Lucas about how I felt until I knew that you were over him?" Peyton asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Brooke answered. "I remember that."

Peyton shifted her body weight to face Brooke and took her friends hand in her own. For a minute, Peyton stroked Brooke's hand gently with her own before lifting her gaze to meet hers.

"Well, I need to know that you are," Peyton said simply.

"Peyton…" Brooke began to protest.

"No Brooke," Peyton said still rubbing her friends hand. "I never wanted to hurt you, ok? Never. And if you still have feelings for Lucas, if you only pushed him away because you were ill, then I want you to tell me."

"Why?" Brooke asked tears forming in her eyes. "Peyton what would it change?"

"Everything." Peyton answered emotionally. "Brooke… it changes everything."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the delay in updating, but I've been away for the last couple of days and haven't had time until now. Anyway here's the next chapter.**

* * *

**(Tree Hill: Karen's House)**

_**Dan glanced back towards the window as Lucas and Karen watched him closely. Only moments ago the brown haired girl had been standing at that window, pointing Dan's own handgun directly at his head. Now though, both the girl and the gun were gone.**_

"_**Yeah," Dan said swallowing hard. "Yeah, I'm fine."**_

Karen and Lucas exchanged concerned glances as they sat watching Dan as he stared worriedly out of the kitchen window. Dan appeared to notice the exchange between the two of them out of the corner of his eye and made a conscious effort to draw his eyes away from the window and meet Karen's questioning gaze.

As he looked at Karen and Lucas, Dan cleared his throat in an attempt to gain his composure and continue their evening together without any further distraction. Sensing the awkwardness that had fallen over the room, Lucas stood from his chair and picked his plate up from the table.

On seeing Lucas stand up, Karen began to rise from her chair to clear her own plate.

"Here," Lucas said reaching for his mom's plate as she continued to stand from her seat. "Let me take that for you."

"Thank you," Karen said smiling kindly at her son as she took her seat once more.

Lucas picked Karen's plate up off the table and placed it on top of his own in his other hand. Once he'd balanced them sufficiently, Lucas glanced towards Dan who was staring out of the window again.

"Are you finished?" Lucas asked reaching for the plate lying before Dan on the table.

"Sorry," Dan asked dreamily, as his attention was bought back into the room.

"Your dinner," Lucas repeated. "Have you finished?"

"Oh," Dan said looking between Karen and Lucas and shaking his head slowly to clear his head. "Yes, sorry Lucas. Here, let me help you."

As Dan began to rise from his seat, Lucas gestured with his free hand for him to remain sitting, before gently picking up his dinner plate.

"That's ok," Lucas said as he made his way over to the sink with the near empty plates. "You're our guest, I'll do it."

Dan gave Lucas a small smile from where he was sitting before turning his attention back to Karen who was watching him from across the table. In the background, Dan could hear Lucas scrape the remaining food on the plates into the disposal.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Karen asked with concern on seeing Dan look her way. "You seem… I don't know…distracted…I guess."

Dan smiled at Karen's concern and reached across the table to take her hands in his. Lucas watched this contact out of the corner of his eye from his position at the sink, a feeling of loathing and anger boiling up inside him.

"I'm sorry," Dan said reassuringly. " I just have a lot of things on my mind at the moment, that's all."

"Is there anything that I can do?" Karen asked interestedly. "I mean maybe it would help if you talked about it with someone? After everything you've done for me these last couple of months, I'd be more than happy to listen."

"Thank you Karen," Dan said sincerely, rubbing her hand gently with his own. "That means a lot to me but I don't want to burden you with my troubles."

Karen smiled at Dan and nodded slowly before glancing momentarily at Lucas who was washing up at the sink.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know you can always call me," Karen said truthfully.

"I know," Dan said smiling as Lucas approached the table having finished the washing up.

"Hey mom," he said rubbing his hands together in front of him. "The washing up's finished and if you leave it, I'll clear the table. Why don't you go into the lounge and I'll bring you both a some coffee?"

Karen raised her eyebrow slightly at Lucas' words and laughed to herself as she stood up from her seat.

"We should have people over more often if this is how you're going to behave," Karen said playfully as she reached up and kissed Lucas thankfully on the cheek. "Thank you."

Lucas smiled at his mom and watched as both her and Dan left the kitchen and entered the lounge.

Once they were out of sight, Lucas opened the back door and stepped outside into the dark searching for Mouth and Abby.

"Mouth?" Lucas whispered quietly as his eyes adjusted to the light outside.

Moments after calling his friends name, Mouth and Abby came around the side of the house and into view. When they were close enough Lucas finally spoke again.

"Hey guys," he said quietly, placing a hand firmly on Mouth's shoulder. "Thanks for your help tonight."

Lucas paused momentarily to look over his shoulder and back into the house before continuing.

"Is everything else set up?" Lucas asked Mouth quickly.

Mouth nodded his head and glanced at Abby.

"Yeah," Mouth said nodding. "Everything's ready."

"Great," Lucas said glancing between the two of them and smiling. "Thank you."

Abby glanced hesitantly into the house before asking her question tentatively.

"Do you think he's suspicious?" She asked quietly as she met Lucas' gaze.

Lucas smiled again at Abby's words and placed his hand gently on her arm.

"Not even a little bit." Lucas said whispering and glancing once more over his shoulder.

As he turned back to the pair of them Lucas spoke under his breath so that they could just about hear him.

"Listen," he said quietly. "Now that everything's in place, you guys can head off. Can you both meet me down at the river court before school tomorrow?"

Mouth and Abby both nodded in response to Lucas' question and he patted Mouth on the shoulder.

"Ok," he continued. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Lucas looked once more before Mouth and Abby before turning to re-enter the house.

"Hey Lucas," Mouth called quietly after him, causing Lucas to turn momentarily to face his friend. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Lucas answered smiling before turning and re-entering the house.

Mouth and Abby watched after Lucas until the door closed behind him and then together the pair of them left, their role in Dan's taunting over for now.

Once back inside the house, Lucas put the kettle on to boil as he quickly cleared the remainder of the kitchen table. On finishing that, Lucas removed two mugs from the kitchen cabinet and placed them before him on the counter. Lucas looked at the two mugs in front of him, one black the other white and smiled to himself.

As he waited for the kettle to boil, Lucas readied the cups, placing a teaspoon of coffee and milk in both. On completing this Lucas reached into his jeans pocket and from it he slowly removed a small, see through plastic bag containing white powder.

Lucas held the bag up in front of him momentarily as he stared at the contents it contained. For a minute, Lucas glanced between the bag and the black mug on the counter, debating whether or not to continue with what he had planned next for Dan.

As he struggled with this decision, he could hear both Dan and his mom laughing together from the lounge. Inside, Lucas' blood turned cold at the sound of the pair of them and all he could think about was how Keith should be the one sharing dinner with them tonight. How it should be Keith and his mom laughing together and enjoying each other's company, awaiting the birth of their child.

Instead, however it was Dan. Instead it was the man that had taken Keith from them, who had ensured that his sister, Keith's child, would never know her father. Would never get to know the type of man that he was from experience, instead only getting to know him from other people's memories and recollections.

Hearing them together was what decided Lucas' next action and instead of placing the bag back into his pocket and forgetting about it, he opened it. Lucas moved his hand slightly so that it was hovering above the black coffee mug and slowly he began to tap a pinch of the white powder into the mug.

Once he'd finished, Lucas resealed the bag and returned it to his pocket discretely, before picking up the kettle and pouring the boiling water into the mugs. Lucas stirred the contents of each mug for a moment before finally lying down the teaspoon and carrying them into the lounge.

Dan leant forward in his chair as Lucas entered the room and offered him the black coffee mug. Dan took the mug from Lucas thankfully as his son proceeded to hand Karen the second mug.

Lucas watched Dan closely as he sipped slowly from the mug and felt himself smile inwardly. After taking a sip of the warm liquid, Dan glanced up at his son who was taking a seat on the sofa besides Karen.

"Thanks for the coffee Lucas," Dan said gratefully as he took another sip from the mug in his hands. "Are you not having one?"

Lucas smiled at Dan before answering.

"No," Lucas started in response. "I've got to get up early for school tomorrow and if I drink too much caffeine now, I'll never get to sleep later."

Dan nodded his head slowly as he took another swig of coffee.

"Very sensible," Dan agreed. "You've got finals coming up soon, you'll need all the rest you can get."

For the next quarter of an hour, the three of them sat together in Karen's living room and they finished their coffees and talked.

"So," Dan said as they approached a natural change in the conversation. "What are your plans for after high school Lucas?"

"Well," Lucas said watching Dan closely. "I haven't really decided yet…"

Lucas trailed off as he watched Dan pull at the tie around his neck to loosen it.

"Are you ok Dan?" Lucas asked feigning concern. "You're sweating."

Dan wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand quickly before standing from his chair.

"Yeah I'm fine," Dan said to both Karen and Lucas. "I'm just feeling a little warm that's all. Is it alright if I use your bathroom."

"Of course," Karen said looking concerned and pointing down the hall. "It's the second door on the left."

Dan waved at Karen in thanks as he began to make his way down the hall to the bathroom. Karen exchanged a worried glance with Lucas as Dan entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Do you think he's alright?" Lucas asked his mom simulating concern. "He's been acting strangely all night. I mean it's not just me is it?"

"No," Karen said meeting her son's gaze. "Something's not right…I mean he's was distracted throughout dinner, then he had the fall of his chair…"

Karen's words were suddenly cut short by the sound of a loud bang coming from the bathroom where Dan had moments ago entered. Karen attempted to stand at the sound, but Lucas motioned for her to remain sitting at the sight of her struggling.

"I'll go," he said standing from his seat and making his way towards the bathroom.

When he reached the door, Lucas knocked gently on the hard wood.

"Dan?" he questioned when no answer came. "Everything ok in there?"

When Dan didn't answer Lucas slowly opened the door and stepped inside to find his father splashing his face with cold water from the sink.

"Dan?" Lucas questioned curiously.

At the sound of Lucas' voice, Dan's head snapped round quickly to look at his son in surprise.

"Lucas?" Dan questioned puzzled, glancing worriedly at the mirror on the wall in front of him.

"Hey, we heard a bang," Lucas informed Dan as he approached nearer to where he was standing. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I just…I knocked the shelf that's all." Dan said quickly as he glanced once more towards the mirror before him, reading the words written there in red.

Lucas peered at the floor around Dan's feet, noticing the number of items scattered there which had moments ago been placed on the shelf nearby. When he next looked back at his father, Lucas noticed him still staring into the mirror and followed Dan's gaze towards it in an attempt to see what he was looking at.

"Do you see that?" Dan asked with panic in his voice.

"See what?" Lucas asked puzzled. "The mirror?"

"The writing," Dan said frantically. "Can you see the writing?"

Lucas stared harder at the mirror for a moment before answering Dan's question.

"What writing?" Lucas said concerned. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"You can't see that?" Dan asked turning to Lucas.

"All I see is your reflection," Lucas said glancing between the mirror and Dan. "What's this writing supposed to say?"

Dan looked at Lucas' puzzled expression as he switched off the faucet before him.

"It's nothing," Dan said quickly as he dried his hands on the towel hanging on the rail to his side. "It must have been a…a reflection or something."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked watching as Dan turned and made his way out of the bathroom.

Once Dan had exited, Lucas turned back to the mirror and read the words written there.

_**You have sinned Danny and now you must pay.**_

Lucas smiled to himself before wiping the writing off the mirror with his damp face cloth and returning to the lounge where he found Dan reaching for his jacket.

Nearby Karen was standing and making her way towards Dan.

As Dan put on his jacket, Lucas watched him closely as he spotted a picture of Karen, Keith and himself as a young boy on the table nearby.

Dan stared at the picture sitting on that table and suddenly images of his house flashed before his eyes. Black and white photocopies of pictures of him and Keith together as children, pictures of Keith with Lucas and Karen.

_**Tick Tock Danny, Tick Tock.**_

Suddenly Keith was gone from the pictures, vanished completely as though he never existed. Erased.

_**Your time is almost up Danny…it won't be long.**_

"No," Dan said firmly as he reached up to put a hand on his head.

"Dan?" Karen asked concerned as she reached to place her hand on his arm.

"No," Dan said again as a flashback of the day that he'd shot Keith flooded his mind. "Stop it."

_**I have sinned…tick tock Danny….tick tock…..tick tock…..tick tock….tick tock**_

In his head, all Dan could hear was the sound of a clock ticking, over and over again, each repetition getting louder and louder until it drowned out everything.

"_**I forgive you Danny…"**_

"_**Stop it you son of a bitch! You take that back."**_

"_**But I forgive you…"**_

Dan glanced between the worried expression of Lucas and Karen before removing his keys from his pocket.

"I have to go," he said panicked, terror in his eyes. "I'm sorry…Karen…I have…I need to go."

Instantly after saying this, Dan turned on his heels and made his way to the front door, opening it quickly and closing it firmly behind him as he left.

Karen watched Dan leave, her mouth agape slightly in confusion as Lucas smiled after Dan knowingly. There was no way that Dan Scott would be getting any sleep tonight. The hallucinogen that Lucas had put in his drink would see to that.

Lucas had known that Dan felt paranoid following his mind games, but he needed to ensure that his paranoia would be enough to break him, it was the only way. From what Lucas had just witnessed he knew that the drug had done the trick. The LSD in combination with the writing he'd placed on the bathroom mirror had resulted in Dan suffering a feeling of terror and panic. The physical signs had emerged first as expected. An increased blood pressure leading to trembling and an increase in heart rate causing a rise in body temperature and dilated pupils.

Soon the psychological effects had followed and Dan had begun to see things, remember things, with a little help from Lucas and the others. Tonight Dan would be tortured by his memories and the drug would help to instil the paranoia and terror that Lucas had been hoping. Tonight Dan Scott would be on a 'bad trip' and Lucas did not have once ounce of sympathy for him. Not one.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

"_**No Brooke," Peyton said still rubbing her friends hand. "I never wanted to hurt you, ok? Never. And if you still have feelings for Lucas, if you only pushed him away because you were ill, then I want you to tell me."**_

"_**Why?" Brooke asked tears forming in her eyes. "Peyton what would it change?"**_

"_**Everything." Peyton answered emotionally. "Brooke… it changes everything."**_

Brooke closed her eyes for a moment as she shook her head slowly from side to side.

"Peyton…" Brooke began desolately her voice raspy and quiet from where she'd been intubated earlier. "I don't think that I can answer that question for you"

"Why?" Peyton asked swallowing hard. "Brooke it's a simple enough question…"

"No," Brooke interrupted sadly, tears forming in her eyes. "It's not Peyton. It's far from simple, ok? If I tell you that my decision to break up with Lucas had nothing to do with my condition, you'd think I was lying to you and that you couldn't trust me."

Brooke paused momentarily before continuing.

"But," she continued cautiously. "If I tell you that you're right, that I pushed Lucas away and that I still have feelings for him... I'd lose you Peyton…. and I _can't_ lose you again…not now."

"Brooke," Peyton said rubbing her hand reassuringly. "Whatever you're answer might be, you need to know that it won't change anything between me and you…"

"I don't believe that," Brooke cut her off, a tear falling down her cheek and onto Peyton's hand.

Brooke closed her eyes momentarily as she sighed heavily.

"I won't leave you Brooke," Peyton said sincerely. "I promised you that I'd be here for you and I intend to keep that promise."

Brooke opened her eyes to look sorrowfully at Peyton.

"I just…I don't understand why this is so important for you to know?" Brooke asked Peyton quietly. "You said that it would change everything, yet now you're telling me that it won't…"

"Not between us," Peyton said squeezing Brooke's hand tightly. "Not us."

Brooke looked at Peyton with obvious confusion on her face and on seeing this Peyton explained.

"Brooke, you said it yourself, ok? Lucas asked you the same thing I did earlier on and you lied to him." Peyton continued. "Why would he ask you that? Why did he want to know unless he believed that maybe there were still feelings there? That maybe you never truly let go of the feelings that you had for him."

"Peyton…" Brooke pleaded closing her eyes as Peyton ignored her and carried on.

"Why would he ask you that Brooke, unless maybe he was doubting his decision to be with me?" Peyton asked sadly as the realisation of her words finally hit her. "Unless maybe…maybe the knowledge that you're ill, that you were trying to protect him when you let him go, made him realise that maybe he still has those feelings too."

Brooke stared at Peyton for a moment as she finished and Peyton met her gaze steadily.

"I told you the morning of Haley and Nathan's wedding," Peyton said. "I told you that I wouldn't come between the two of you, that I didn't want to steal Lucas away. But I had to be honest with you about the way I felt, Brooke." Peyton carried on, noticing as Brooke leant back against the head of the bed once more.

Peyton shifted closer to Brooke for a moment before persisting.

"Brooke, I love Lucas." Peyton said honestly. "And I've already told you that I never wanted my love for him to hurt you. As much as we might want to, you can't help who you fall in love with Brooke. You and me both know that better than anyone."

Peyton glanced down at Brooke's hands in her own as she continued.

"If you tell me now that you're completely over Lucas, that you didn't break up with him because of the cancer then we can both forget about this and move on." Peyton said peering back up at Brooke. "But Brooke, if you let him go because you were scared, if you never stopped loving him…then I have to tell Lucas the truth…_you_ have to tell him the truth…that you broke up with him because you were trying to protect him and because you thought it was the right thing to do at the time."

"Peyton," Brooke began. However, Peyton cut her off instantly by putting her hand up to indicate that she hadn't finished.

"I don't want anymore lies Brooke…anymore secrets between the three of us." Peyton continued. "Only once everyone knows the truth will we be able to put this triangle to rest and move on either way…"

Peyton trailed off as she said this and Brooke looked at her confused.

"Either way?" Brooke asked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"If the truth is that you lied to Lucas earlier today," Peyton clarified. "And that you do still love him, then you should tell him Brooke. It's not fair to any of us to have to lie, or hide our true feelings…if Lucas believes that maybe he made a mistake by not fighting for you and that he really wants you back…then I won't stand in your way."

"Peyton," Brooke said sitting up away from the bed in her surprise. "You can't be serious with all this?"

"Why not?" Peyton asked. "We said we were going to be honest with each other from now on Brooke. That we'd start again with a clean slate and no secrets…that's all I want."

"Peyton," Brooke said disbelievingly. "Lucas loves you...he always has…"

"That may be," Peyton interrupted looking straight at Brooke. "But it wasn't all that long ago that he said the same thing about you."

Brooke closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead soothingly.

"Are you ok?" Peyton asked worriedly as she placed her hand gently on the side of Brooke's forehead.

"It's just a little headache that's all." Brooke answered kindly sensing Peyton's genuine concern.

Brooke looked at her friend momentarily as Peyton took over stroking the area Brooke had been only seconds ago. Finally Brooke sighed, believing that Peyton truly meant what she was saying, trusting that she'd still be here for her no matter what her answer, that all she wanted was the truth.

Peyton was right. Brooke and her had decided to be honest with one another from now on. All she wanted was the truth and Brooke knew that it was something she could easily give to her. Brooke sighed heavily before next speaking.

"You want the truth Peyton?" Brooke asked her friend sadly. "I mean... you really want to know?"

Peyton nodded that she did.

"Ok then," Brooke said quietly as she nodded and met Peyton's expectant gaze. "The truth is that I loved Lucas, Peyton…and I probably always will. Lucas was the first person I'd ever been in a real relationship with. He was the first guy that I ever felt I could get close to."

Brooke paused momentarily before continuing.

"Lucas wasn't just another guy to me, you know?" Brooke said. "He changed me in a lot of ways for the better and I'd be lying to you if I said that I hadn't broken up with him because I found out that I was ill."

Brooke let her words sink in for a moment as Peyton continued to stare at her closely.

"But Peyton…" Brooke began. "It…"

Before Brooke could finish her sentence, Peyton quickly stood from where she'd been sitting and began to make her way towards the door," wiping at her eyes as she did.

"Peyton?" Brooke asked almost inaudibly as her voice broke with emotion.

Peyton ignored Brooke's words, instead putting her hand over her mouth and continuing towards the door.

"Peyton?" Brooke tried again, tears in her eyes. "Where are you going?"

Peyton turned slowly where she was standing by the door to face Brooke.

"I'm sorry," Peyton said sadly. "Brooke…I…"

"Peyton I'm not finished yet." Brooke interrupted her sadly.

"I know…" Peyton said looking at Brooke and feeling guilty. "I just…I need…" Peyton sighed. " Brooke...I have to get out of here for a moment…. I'm sorry."

"But you said," Brooke said tears running down her cheeks as Peyton turned to leave once again. "Peyton you said it wouldn't change anything between us…"

Brooke watched as Peyton opened the door to her room and paused there for a moment, her back towards her.

"Peyton?" Brooke pleaded one last time. "Please don't leave…"

"I'm sorry," Peyton said quietly before exiting the room and letting the door close behind her.

On hearing the door click back into place, Brooke burst into tears and slowly placed her hand over her mouth as she continued to stare in the same direction that Peyton had just left.


	19. Chapter 19

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital-Monday Morning)**

After Peyton had left her room last night, Brooke had waited expectantly for her to return, however, she'd been disappointed when the minutes slowly passed into hours and there was still no sign of her friend.

Brooke had rarely slept last night since her conversation with Peyton. As much as she'd wanted to believe that her confession wouldn't change anything between her and Peyton, she knew from the way Peyton had reacted that it already had.

The majority of last night, Brooke had gone over the conversation again and again in her head, wondering if there was something she could have done differently to prevent the fallout, which soon followed. However, as she recalled the exchange, Brooke couldn't help but feel as though she'd been placed into a catch twenty-two situation.

When Peyton had first asked her whether she'd known about the cancer before breaking up with Lucas, Brooke had been tempted to lie to her. After all, that would have been a much simpler option and Lucas seemed to accept her untruth when she'd spoken to him yesterday. However, Peyton had been insistent that Brooke tell her the truth about her feelings for Lucas and foolishly she'd believed Peyton when she'd reassured her that it wouldn't change anything between them.

Not wanting to rebuild her relationship with Peyton based on lies, Brooke had decided to bite the bullet and be honest however, thinking back on it now Brooke felt that perhaps it would have been better for everyone if she'd refused to answer the question outright. As she considered this option now though, Brooke knew that it would still leave her in the same predicament she was in now.

Knowing Peyton as well as she did, Brooke realized that she'd have taken any refusal to answer the question as a sign that she did in fact still have feelings for Lucas. Brooke had thought that honesty was the best route to take considering the circumstances, believing that Peyton would at least hear her out. However, that had somehow backfired on her enormously and now she was once again left all alone.

Suddenly, Brooke was pulled from her thoughts as the door to her room opened slowly. Brooke leaned forwards in bed and looked towards it hopefully, half expecting to see Peyton's blonde curls as she poked her head around the door hesitantly.

Brooke felt her heart sink as Dr. Stevens entered the room carrying her chart in his hands. As he approached her, the doctor seemed to notice Brooke's solemn expression and placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Miss Davis?" Dr Stevens asked concerned. "Are you feeling ok?"

Brooke met the doctors' gaze and sighed heavily before answering.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said unconvincingly, leaning back in bed.

Dr Stevens watched Brooke closely for a moment before flicking through the chart in his hands. Earlier this morning, Brooke had gone for a repeat MRI scan to help Dr Stevens ascertain whether or not she was well enough to go home. As he stood before her now, Brooke hoped more than anything that she was. There was nothing she wanted more right now then to get out of here so that she could return back to Tree Hill.

"Ok," he said as he read through the notes written before him. "Well, the results of this morning's repeat MRI have come back and compared to the one we took last night, the swelling has decreased greatly."

"Does that mean that I can go home?" Brooke asked eagerly.

Dr Stevens closed the chart in his hands and perched himself on the edge of Brooke's bed so that he could talk to her seriously for a moment.

"Brooke…" he began looking down into his lap momentarily before meeting her questioning gaze. "I know that your eager to get home and the results of the scan are good, but your condition has been extremely unstable since you were bought in…"

Dr Stevens paused for a moment to allow Brooke to absorb his words.

"So you want me to stay in another night?" Brooke asked desolately.

"I think that I would be happier if we were able to monitor your condition for another day before I discharged you." Dr Stevens answered her. "Obviously this is just my recommendation Brooke but ultimately the decision is up to you. I can't force you to stay here against your will, but if you decide to leave today you'll be doing so against my medical opinion."

Brooke averted her gaze from the doctor for a moment to look at her hands, which she'd not noticed she'd been rubbing together in her lap. Brooke made a concerted effort to keep her hands still as she met Dr Stevens gaze once again.

"I appreciate what you're saying Dr Stevens," Brooke said quietly. "And I know that you're only trying to do what you think is in my best interest, but…"

"You want to go home," Dr Stevens finished for her.

Brooke nodded her head in response.

"Somehow I thought you might say that." Dr Stevens continued.

"I'm sorry," she said feeling guilty at her desire to leave. "It's just…I'm supposed to be having surgery on Wednesday…"

"You don't need to apologise," Dr Stevens reassured her. "It's understandable that you'd want some time away from hospital before having to go back in again…even if it is only for a day. A lot of patients I see who have ongoing medical problems like you aren't keen on being kept in. Trust me, you're not the first person I've met who's refused to stay and I doubt you'll be the last."

Brooke smiled at Dr Stevens' words, thankful that he wasn't going to try and talk her out of her decision.

"So what happens now?" Brooke asked the doctor.

"Well," Dr Stevens said standing from where he'd been seated on Brooke's bed. "There's some paperwork that needs to be seen to and I'll have one of the nurses come in and remove your cannulae and lines. I'll arrange a follow up appointment for you to see a neurologist in Tree Hill."

Dr Stevens paused for a moment, noticing Brooke's questioning expression before continuing.

"It's just so that your progress can be monitored and it provides you with a contact at home who can get in touch with to discuss any problems or questions you may have later on. I'll also write you a prescription for some diuretics to help decrease the swelling further, as well as some painkillers." Dr Stevens informed her. "Once all that's been taken care of then you'll be free to go home."

"Thank you," Brooke said sincerely, meeting her doctors' gaze.

"Your more than welcome," Dr Stevens answered smiling at Brooke's words.

Dr Stevens paused for a moment watching Brooke closely before eventually speaking again.

"Right then…" he said tucking Brooke's chart into the side of his body. "I'll go see to that now. A nurse should be in with you shortly."

With that Dr Stevens turned and slowly made his way out of the room, Brooke watching as he left and closed the door shut behind him.

**(Tree Hill: Deb's House)**

Haley entered Deb's kitchen to find Nathan sitting at the counter absentmindedly moving about the cereal in the bowl before him.

"Hey," Haley said as she reached him and leant down to kiss the side of his face affectionately. "You were up early this morning."

Nathan pulled out the stool beside him for Haley to sit on as he answered her.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night," Nathan answered as Haley took the seat beside him and began to pour herself some cereal.

"Are you worried about today?" Haley asked placing her hand reassuringly on top of his and squeezing it affectionately.

"I just kept thinking about what I was going to say to everyone at school today," Nathan said looking at Haley as she watched him closely. "I mean…this is it Haley. After today, everything that I've worked so hard for the last couple of years will be gone…"

"Are you starting to have second thoughts about owning up?" Haley asked him as she poured some milk onto her cereal.

"No," Nathan said quietly. "Owning up is the right thing to do Haley, I know that. I guess it's just going to be hard to let my dream go, that's all."

Haley gave Nathan as small smile before eating some of the cereal from the bowl before her. After finishing her mouthful, Haley looked back at Nathan who was watching her closely.

"Have you worked out what you're going to say?" Haley asked him.

"The truth I guess," Nathan answered her. "I mean, what else is there?"

"Well, do you want me to help you prepare something?" Haley suggested.

"Thanks Hales," Nathan said smiling at her. "I really appreciate the offer but I think that this should come from me."

"Ok," Haley said kissing him lightly on the forehead and taking another mouthful of her breakfast.

As Haley ate, Nathan continued to play with the cereal in his bowl idly. Haley noticed Nathan's lack of appetite and after finishing her own breakfast she decided to address him about it.

"Do you want me to fix you something else to eat?" Haley asked him as she stood from her seat and picked up her now empty bowl.

"No," Nathan said setting his spoon back against the rim of his bowl and looking at Haley. "I'm not really hungry…"

"Nathan you should eat something," Haley said looking at him concerned. "We've got finals coming up soon and you won't be able to concentrate at school if you're hungry."

"I know, I'm sorry," Nathan said standing from his seat and taking his bowl over to the sink where Haley was standing.

Nathan placed his bowl into the sink and turned to face Haley.

"It's just, I'm too nervous to eat. I just want to get this over with." Nathan said taking Haley's hand in his. "Once everything is out in the open I'll be able to focus on school."

"You know you won't have to do this alone," Haley said as she wrapped her arms around Nathan's waist. "I'll be right there with you when you tell everyone."

"Haley, you don't have to do that?" Nathan said hugging her close to him. "I don't want people to think that you were someone involved in all this."

"I don't care what people think," Haley said looking up at him. "Nathan, I told you that I'd support you through this and I meant it."

"Thank you," Nathan said as he leant forward to kiss Haley on the lips. "Just knowing that you'll be there makes me feel a little better about it."

Haley rested her head gently against Nathan's chest as he wrapped his arms about her shoulders. For a moment, the two of them remained there in each other's embrace, until Nathan finally broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.

"Can you believe that only yesterday we were all enjoying ourselves in Honeygrove?" Nathan sighed heavily.

"It seems like a life time ago," Haley commented.

"For a moment there, everything seemed perfect." Nathan said remembering the previous days events. "Then life caught up with us and bought reality with it."

"First everything with Brooke and now this," Haley agreed. "It makes me wonder what will be next."

"Speaking of Brooke," Nathan said releasing Haley to get a better look at her. "Have you heard anything more about how she's doing?"

"Not since Peyton called Lucas last night at the café." Haley said placing her hand on her abdomen and rubbing it slowly. "I feel kind of bad that we all left her there."

As she said this Nathan walked over to the counter and picked up his school bag.

"Me too," he agreed. "But it's not as if she's alone… I mean, Peyton's there with her. Besides, she told us to leave remember?"

Nathan put his bag over his shoulder as he walked back towards Haley.

"I know," Haley said as Nathan reached her. "It just doesn't feel right going to school and not knowing how she is…what if something happens?"

"Then Peyton will call us," Nathan said reassuringly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two of them began walking towards the door. "The doctor said that she could be discharged on Tuesday. You've only got to wait another day before you can see her."

Nathan paused for a moment as he leant down to pick up Haley's bag from the floor in the hall. Nathan placed the bag over the same shoulder as his own before opening the front door for Haley.

"You're right," Haley said as she stepped through the door, closely followed by Nathan. "I just feel as though I've abandoned her. I mean, after everything she's done for me during the pregnancy and when I came back from tour…. I just worry that maybe she'll think I've deserted her."

"She won't," Nathan, said as he closed the door behind him and the two of them began to make their way down the drive towards the car. "Trust me Hales, Brooke would never think that. She knows your worried about her, we all are. But she's right, we would have been at a loose end if we'd all stayed there."

Nathan leant forward and opened the car door, putting both bags into the back seats.

"I guarantee that as soon as she's home tomorrow, she'll want to see you." Nathan reassured her. "And if she does, then I'm not coming." Nathan laughed.

"Why not?" Haley asked confused.

"Let me think," Nathan said sarcastically as he sat behind the wheel and Haley got into the car. "Maybe it's because lately you two have found it entertaining to tease me at every possible chance."

"What if I promise not to make fun of you?" Haley asked smiling.

"I'll think about it," Nathan said laughing. "But no promises, ok?"

"Ok," Haley said watching Nathan closely as he turned over the engine and put the car into gear.

For a moment, Nathan paused to stare out of the windscreen and Haley put her hand on his knee reassuringly.

Nathan looked at Haley and smiled half-heartedly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Haley asked him when their gazes met.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Nathan said releasing the hand brake and pulling away from the house.

**(Honeygrove Memorial Hospital)**

"Ok," the nurse said as she finished placing a fresh dressing over the back of Brooke's hand to cover the wound left from removing the cannulae. "You're all set to go."

"That's it?" Brooke asked as the nurse began cleaning all the empty dressing wrappers from the side table.

"That's it," the nurse said smiling at her kindly. "All that's left for you to do now is get dressed."

"Right…" Brooke said slowly as a realisation finally hit her. "Get dressed…"

"Is there a problem?" The nurse asked looking at Brooke with concern.

"No, it's just…" Brooke began to reply, however, she was interrupted by the sound of the door to her room opening slowly.

Both Brooke and the nurse looked towards the door, expecting to see the doctor entering with details of her follow up appointment and prescription. Yet, Brooke was surprised to see Peyton standing in the now open door, a holdall in her hand.

Brooke shook her head momentarily as though she was imagining Peyton standing before her.

"Peyton?" Brooke asked, shock evident in her voice.

"Hey," Peyton answered hesitantly as she entered the room and threw Brooke a small smile. "I bought you some clothes."

Brooke continued to stare at Peyton as she walked slowly across the room towards her, one hand placed in her jeans pocket and the other carrying the holdall.

The nurse looked between the pair of them, obviously sensing the awkwardness that had come over the room and decided to give them some time to talk.

"I'll leave you guys to it," she said quietly as she collected the rubbish from the side table and made her way out of the room.

"How are you feeling?" Peyton asked tentatively as she placed the holdall onto the end of Brooke's bed.

"What are you doing here Peyton?" Brooke asked almost inaudibly. "I thought you'd left…"

Peyton placed her now free hand into her other jean pocket and glanced down at the floor uncomfortably as she answered.

"Listen Brooke," she began regretfully. "I'm sorry about last night…I shouldn't have left like I did…."

"Then why did you?" Brooke asked hurt. "Peyton, you said nothing would change between us."

Peyton met Brooke's gaze and felt guilty at the pain she saw behind her eyes, knowing that she'd been the one to cause it.

"Brooke…" Peyton started quietly. "I'm so sorry…I don't know what else to say…"

Brooke closed her eyes and shook her head slowly as she thought back to their conversation last night.

"Where did you go last night?" Brooke asked her sighing.

"The car." Peyton answered her honestly. "I drove around for a while thinking…"

"I waited for you to come back…" Brooke said turning slowly and opening the holdall on the bed to remove her clothes. "But you didn't come back…."

"I couldn't." Peyton said taking a step closer towards Brooke. "I wanted to ok? I just…I got to the parking lot and I couldn't bring myself to leave the car."

"Look Peyton," Brooke said as she started to pull her clothes on. "I understand how you must feel ok. After all it wasn't that long ago that I was standing in exactly the same position as you are now remember…"

Brooke paused for a moment as she pulled on her t-shirt before continuing.

"I mean," she carried on. "I know that I didn't exactly react well when you told me you had feelings for Lucas, but then, I didn't force a confession out of you and tell you that nothing would change between us…"

"I know," Peyton interrupted, placing a hand on Brooke's arm and causing her to meet her gaze again. "Ok, I know. I'm sorry that I left you Brooke. I shouldn't have. Especially after everything I'd said to you…deep down I knew what you'd say…it just…it shock me…"

Peyton ran her free hand through her hair for a moment before carrying on.

"Brooke just…just tell me how I can fix this." Peyton pleaded. "I meant what I said Brooke, this…it doesn't change anything between us."

"I don't believe you…" Brooke answered sadly as she rubbed at her head.

Peyton closed her eyes as she next spoke.

"Brooke, what do you want from me?" Peyton asked her. "What do you want me to do? Ok, I'll do anything to make this up to you."

"I want to go back eight hours," Brooke said sadly as she met Peyton gaze. "I just…I want to go back to before you asked me…to when I told you all about how I'd thrown up over Billy Carson and put a hole in the side of my parents house."

Brooke paused briefly for a moment.

"I want us to be like we were then, without any of this stuff with Lucas hanging over our heads." Brooke said, tears forming in her eyes. "I've got so many other things to worry about right now Peyton…and I don't know if I can cope with one more."

"Brooke…" Peyton said sorrowfully as she tried to wrap her arms around her friend.

"No… Peyton," Brooke said, her voice cracking as she stepped away from her embrace. "I can't do this right now…Lucas is the last thing that I want to think about at the moment…. and you'd know that if you stayed around long enough to hear me out last night…"

"Brooke…" Peyton tried again, feeling guiltier by the second.

"All this relationship drama, Peyton…I don't want it…not on top of everything else." Brooke said ignoring Peyton's words. "Lucas loves you…and if you could just let yourself be happy for one moment…then…then maybe you'd see that."

Brooke wiped at her eyes to remove the tears, which had now formed behind them.

Peyton shook her head sadly and pulled Brooke into a tight embrace, tears falling from her eyes as she felt Brooke hug her back.

"I'm sorry," Peyton almost whispered. "I promise…I'll never leave you like that again…ok…never."

"Peyton," Brooke started but was cut short by Peyton continuing.

"Just…say that we'll be ok…" Peyton pleaded with her. "Please…Brooke…please…"

Brooke closed her eyes for a moment as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

When she next spoke her voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.

"We'll…. we'll be ok… Peyton…" Brooke spoke softly in response.

Peyton pulled out of the embrace and smiled sadly at Brooke who returned the gesture.

"Can we just forget about this?" Brooke asked Peyton carefully. "At least for now…"

"Brooke…" Peyton begun to protest.

"Please," Brooke asked her again.

Peyton remained silent for a moment before finally answering her.

"Sure," she said smiling. "For now."

"So listen," Brooke said feeling the need to lighten the mood. "How exactly are we supposed to find our way home without navigation girl?"

Peyton laughed at Brooke's words and pulled her into another hug.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Peyton answered as she released Brooke and took her hand in hers.

Peyton swung their hands in between them slowly as she next spoke.

"If I remember rightly, I think I owe you a secret." Peyton said smiling.

Brooke raised her eyebrow as she answered.

"You know," she said playfully as she wrapped an arm around her waist. "I believe you're right P. Sawyer."


	20. Chapter 20

**(Tree Hill: The River Court)**

Following the events that had occurred at dinner last night, Lucas had found it difficult to get to sleep, his mind too pre-occupied with the knowledge that with every passing day, Dan was getting closer and closer to breaking point. Although his sleep had been light and disturbed, Lucas felt better than he had in days.

As Lucas had lain in the darkness of his room and tried to drift into a peaceful slumber, he couldn't help but let the anticipation of Dan's fall from grace flood his thoughts. As he lay in bed, Lucas imagined the moment when he would finally break Dan for good, pushing him to a point from which there was no return.

When that moment finally came, it would be the end of Dan Scott and Lucas had no regrets that he would be the ultimate cause of his fathers' downfall. As he thought back to what had happened the previous evening, Lucas couldn't help but smile. Before, he'd gone to check on Dan in the bathroom; Lucas had been having doubts about whether or not his plan would work. However, on seeing the panic and terror in Dan's eyes on discovering the words written on the bathroom mirror, Lucas had no for certain that they were definitely on the right track.

Dan Scott would break; there was no doubt of that now in Lucas' mind. Seeing the way he'd reacted to the hallucinogen confirmed that for Lucas. The question now was not a case of would Dan break down, but when. It had been that exact same question which had led Lucas to ask both Mouth and Abby to meet him at the river court this morning.

As he made his way to meet them there now, Lucas' goal was clear in his mind, the answer to the question of when Dan would break. Simple.

_Soon._

Lucas knew that Dan was close to self-destructing, teetering precariously on the brink of confessing his role in Keith's death. What Lucas wanted now, was to bring about Dan's ruin as soon as possible. The quicker Dan Scott was out of their lives, the better as far as Lucas was concerned.

Lucas paused momentarily as he reached the curb, waiting silently for a car to pass before quickly crossing the street and making his way onto the river court. As he stepped onto the dark tarmac of the court, Lucas could see both Mouth and Abby sitting together on the nearby picnic bench. The exact same bench, where only yesterday, Abby had recalled Keith's final moments and shared them with Lucas, further fuelling the hatred he had towards Dan with every word she spoke.

As he neared the bench, Lucas saw Mouth stand up from where he was sitting and place both his hands in his pockets anxiously. Lucas smiled as he reached the pair of them and saw Mouth relax slightly on noticing this gesture.

"So…" Mouth prompted worriedly when Lucas was standing before him. "What happened after we left last night? Did everything go ok? Or…"

Lucas laughed to himself as he placed a reassuring hand on Mouth's shoulder.

"Mouth," he interrupted his friend. "Stop worrying, ok? Everything went exactly how we planned it."

"It did?" Abby asked as she stood from her chair before Lucas.

"Perfectly," Lucas said smiling at her.

"And your mom wasn't suspicious at all?" Mouth asked concerned. "I mean she didn't sense that something was going on?"

Lucas frowned a little at Mouth's question and took a moment to think before finally answering.

"Well," he began, searching for the right words to explain his mom's reaction to the events of last night. "She could tell that something was wrong with Dan, but as far as my involvement goes, she doesn't suspect a thing."

"It's just like you predicted," Abby said smiling at Lucas. "I could see it, you know? In his eyes…he's paranoid, just like you said he'd be."

Abby paused for a minute as she turned to smile at Mouth.

"He didn't even consider the possibility that I was really there last night, me or Mouth." Abby continued. "If he did, then he would have come outside to check, right?"

"I think so," Lucas agreed.

"So what happens next?" Mouth asked curiously as he glanced at his friend.

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you," Lucas said glancing between Mouth and Abby. "However, before I do, I need to know that you still want to be involved with this."

Mouth and Abby exchanged questioning looks, which didn't go unnoticed by Lucas who continued to explain.

"You two have been amazing up until now," Lucas said appreciatively. "And I'm not sure that I can ever thank you enough for what you've done for me…"

Lucas looked between Abby and Mouth as he struggled with the decision to allow them to participate in the next phase of his plan. The truth was that Lucas needed them more than ever now. What was to come next was something that only the two of them could help him to achieve, however, it was dangerous and Lucas didn't like the idea that he was placing his friends' safety at risk.

Mouth frowned at Lucas' pause and prompted his friend to carry on.

"What is it Lucas?" Mouth asked quietly, concern in his voice.

Lucas peered quickly at the ground beneath his feet before finally meeting Mouth's gaze and continuing.

"What I need you to do next is dangerous," Lucas said glancing between the pair in front of him. "Especially considering that Dan's extremely close to a mental breakdown…I just…I need to know that you are still willing to go through with this, keeping that in mind."

Mouth looked towards Abby as she spoke in response to Lucas' comment.

"What you have planned…" Abby asked Lucas her voice steady. "Is it the only way that we'll bring Dan to justice?"

Mouth looked at Lucas expectantly as he awaited his answer.

"It's the most likely to be successful…" Lucas said quietly in response.

"Then I'll do it," Abby said firmly.

"Me too," Mouth agreed, nodding his head.

"Guys," Lucas began in protest. "You don't have to…"

"No," Abby disagreed, placing an encouraging hand on Lucas' arm. "We do Lucas. We have to do the right thing here. People deserve to know the truth about that day…"

"People need to know that Jimmy isn't a monster," Mouth agreed sadly. "You knew him Lucas…Jimmy would never hurt anyone intentionally…he wasn't cruel or malicious…he was just…"

"Desperate." Abby finished for Mouth. "But not Dan…Dan was cold…and…and unforgiving Lucas."

Mouth nodded his agreement.

"He deserve to be punished for what he's done, Lucas." Mouth agreed. "And if we're the only people that can help bring him to justice…"

"Then we will," Abby finished quietly. "We'll do whatever it takes."

Lucas looked between the two of them with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you," he said almost inaudibly.

Lucas felt overwhelmed by the gratitude he felt towards the two of them in that moment that he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Lucas and Abby barely knew each other; yet, here she was willing to risk her safety to help him do the right thing. Abby had no allegiance to Lucas. She didn't owe him anything, but the fact that despite that she still wanted to help him, said a lot about the type of person she was, kind and giving.

In that moment, Lucas felt bad that he'd not spoken to her before all this had occurred. That they'd not met under better circumstances. Lucas believed that maybe if he had, they could have been good friends.

Speaking of his friends, Lucas would never have believed that someone with a small stature such as Mouth would help him to bring down the stout figure of Dan Scott. Lucas didn't know why he was surprised, after all Mouth may be little, but he had a bigger heart and a tougher resolve than anyone he'd ever met. Thinking about it now, Lucas knew that those qualities had probably been why Brooke had chosen to confide in Mouth about her condition.

"Lucas," Mouth interrupted his friends' thoughts, worry evident on his face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Lucas said, a large smile spreading across his face. "I'm ok Mouth."

"So what do you want us to do?" Mouth asked inquisitively.

"Firstly," Lucas said to Mouth. "I need to know, how often I can slip the LSD into Dan's drink…it definitely heightened his paranoia last night and I think we can use that to our advantage with the rest of the plan."

"Well," Mouth said thinking about Lucas' question. "I'm not entirely sure, I mean I don't take the stuff…I guess maybe once a day. That way, his body will have a chance to break down the substance completely before giving him another dose."

"When are you going to have the chance to give it to him?" Abby asked Lucas intrigued.

"At the café," Lucas said looking between the pair of them. "I guarantee he'll come in and see my mom later on today…I can do it then."

"What if he doesn't?" Mouth asked sceptically. "Or what if you're not there when he does?"

"I'll think of something," Lucas said shrugging. "It's not overly important to the outcome of the plan, but I think it could help us break him sooner if we could give him a couple more doses of it. Maybe he'll let something slip about the shooting earlier than we expect. That way you wouldn't have to get as involved."

On the sudden realisation that hit him, Lucas turned to Mouth.

"Where exactly did you get it?" Lucas asked puzzled.

"Does it matter?" Mouth asked defensively.

"I mean…it's not yours is it?" Lucas asked his friend concerned. "You're not taking anything…"

"No," Mouth said abruptly. "Definitely not."

"Then where did you get it?" Lucas asked enquiringly. "I mean if we need it…will you be able to get some more?"

"No," Mouth said shaking his head sadly. "I'm afraid that's all we've got."

"You can't get anymore from the same person you got this from?" Lucas asked him confused. "Maybe if you tell me who they are then I can ask them…"

"I can't," Mouth interrupted apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Lucas asked his curiosity increasing further. "Was it someone I know?"

Mouth avoided Lucas' glance and shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

"Mouth?" Lucas prompted, not fully understanding how they'd gotten to this point in the conversation.

Mouth lifted his gaze from the spot he'd been looking at on the floor to look at Lucas for a moment before finally continuing.

"I can't tell you because they don't know that I've taken it," Mouth said hesitantly.

"Wait," Lucas said laughing slightly. "You stole it from someone?"

"From their purse." Mouth said shifting uncomfortably again. "In Honeygrove…"

Lucas frowned at Mouth's words realising what he was implying.

"Whose purse?" Lucas asked fearfully hoping to God that it wasn't anyone he knew.

For a moment Mouth didn't say anything, but continued to look at Lucas blankly until he prompted him further.

"Mouth, whose purse did you take it from?" Lucas asked again anxiously.

"You can't tell her…" Mouth said pleadingly. "Please, Lucas…ok…she probably doesn't realise that it's missing yet…I didn't even know she had it till the other night, I swear. You can't say anything to her about it Lucas, ok?"

Mouth paused for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing.

"I'm going to talk to her about it…I promise… I just…" Mouth stuttered.

Abby watched the exchange between the two of them silently, not fully understanding what Lucas and Mouth were talking about.

"Mouth…" Lucas started again quietly, a note of worry in his voice. "Whose purse did you take it from?"

Mouth closed his eyes momentarily as he sighed.

"Brooke's," he said quietly in defeat. "I took it from Brooke's purse…I found it when me and Skills took her back to her room in Honeygrove…she was drunk, she…I had to get her room key out of her purse…and I saw it…"

Mouth noticed the look of disbelief on Lucas' face and took a step closer towards him.

"Lucas?" he asked worriedly.

**(Tree Hill: High School)**

Nathan sighed heavily as he pulled his car into the lot out front of Tree Hill high school and put it into park. For a moment Nathan sat with both hands placed on the steering wheel, looking out of the windscreen at the other students who were there early and wandering around the quad chatting animatedly with their friends. Nathan watched the students as they continued with their daily activities, all of them completely unaware of the scandal that Nathan was about to drop on both this school and the town.

"Hey," Haley said softly as she touched Nathan's arm gently with her hand and pulled him from his thoughts. "Are you ok?"

Nathan looked at Haley and smiled half-heartedly as he responded.

"Yeah," he answered unconvincingly. "I'm ok."

Haley rubbed Nathan's arm comfortingly with her hand before leaning forward and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"I'll be right here with you," Haley said reassuringly.

Nathan smiled again at his wife, this time more genuinely than he had before.

"I know," he said quietly. "Thank you."

Haley smiled back at Nathan in response before rubbing his arm once more and speaking again.

"Then are you ready?" Haley asked kindly.

At Haley's words, Nathan glanced once more out of his windscreen to look at the students who were already at school.

"Yeah," he said watching them for a moment before turning back to Haley. "I think I am."

Nathan turned to Haley once more before finally opening the car door and stepping out onto the asphalt outside. Nathan watched Haley exit the car as he closed the door behind him and waited until she joined him on the drivers' side.

Slowly Haley made her way around the front of the car and on reaching Nathan she affectionately wrapped her arm around his waist as he draped his around her neck and pulled her closer to him. Together, Nathan and Haley began to make their way across the quad towards the main building, however, half way across the concrete paved area, Nathan stopped dead in his tracks, causing Haley to pause beside him.

"What's wrong?" Haley asked, tilting her head slightly to get a better look at Nathan.

As she glanced up at him, Haley noticed Nathan looking towards the Whitey Durham Field House before them and followed his gaze.

"Hey Hales," Nathan began, not averting his gaze from the building in front of him. "Can I meet up with you in a little while? There's something that I need to do."

As he finished his sentence, Nathan glanced down towards Haley who was watching him with confused expression on her face.

"You don't want me to come with you?" Haley checked with him.

"No," Nathan replied simply. "I need to do this on my own."

Haley looked towards the building before her once more before smiling up at Nathan and nodding.

"Ok," she said as she reached up and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Just come and find me in the library when you've finished."

"Thanks Hales," Nathan said as he kissed her lightly on the forehead and began to make his way towards the Whitey Durham Field House.

"Nathan," Haley said quickly, causing Nathan to turn on the spot to face her. "I think Whitey will be more understanding than you think."

Nathan smiled kindly in response to Haley's words as he nodded and continued on his way across the quad and towards the building.

For a moment, Haley watched after Nathan, waiting until he'd disappeared out of sight before making her own way towards the library. As she walked the last few feet across the quad and towards the school, Haley heard her cell phone go off in her bag and paused momentarily to retrieve it.

Once the phone was in her hand, Haley peeked at the number, which was flashing across the screen and smiled to herself.

_**Peyton's Cell**_

"Hey," Haley said enthusiastically into the phone as she answered it.

"Hey back at you navigation girl," came Brooke's voice over the phone.

At the sound of Brooke's voice, a look of incredulity crept across Haley's face.

"Brooke?" she asked puzzled.

"Of course," Brooke replied as though it should be the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh…" Haley begun surprised. "How are you?"

"Lost," Brooke said simply. "Listen, me and blondie here didn't really think this whole thing through when we sent you home without us and now we have no idea where we are."

"Brooke what are you talking about?" Haley asked laughing.

"You're navigation girl," Brooke replied. "You have to help us. I mean am I not talking English here?"

"Ok, Brooke." Haley said laughing to herself. "Are you on something because I don't know what the hell you're talking about?"

"I'm only on what the doctors gave me," Brooke complained. "Ok you know what…umm…talk to Peyton, she's good with…words…and stuff."

"Brooke…" Haley begun down the phone, however she was soon cut off by Peyton's voice coming over the line.

"Hey Hales," Peyton said a friendly tone in her voice.

"Hey Peyton…" Haley said drawing out the words and frowning slightly. "Uh…is Brooke ok? She seems a little crazy."

"When doesn't she?" Peyton asked laughing.

"Uh…true." Haley replied listening into the phone.

"I think the combination of her painkillers and being stuck in a car for the last hour have made her a little bit hyper." Peyton said laughing again.

"Wait, you're in the car?" Haley asked surprised.

"Ok, did she not explain this to you?" Peyton asked. "I just came back from the bathroom and she thrust the phone in my face."

"Peyton what's going on? Are you coming home?" Haley asked.

"Yeah," Peyton answered. "Brooke was discharged this morning, we're on our way back to Tree Hill now."

"I thought she wasn't being released until tomorrow?" Haley asked confused.

"Yeah, well we both know how convincing Brooke can be when she wants something." Peyton answered laughing. "So anyway, we were on our way home when Brooke decided we should take a shortcut and now we're lost."

"Ok, well where are you now?" Haley asked Peyton as she still tried to absorb everything her friend had just told her.

"At a gas station about an hour outside of Honeygrove," Peyton said. "I asked the clerk if he could point us in the right direction home but he's never even heard of Tree Hill…so…"

"Alright," Haley said, "well if you let me know where you are I can look it up on a map and get back to you with directions."

"Hales, that would be great, thank you." Peyton said sighing with relief.

"Just…don't let Brooke convince you to take any shortcuts," Haley said laughing.

"I knew I should never have listened to her," Peyton said jokingly.

"Hey can you put her back on for a moment?" Haley asked seriously.

"Sure," Peyton said. "I'll see you soon Hales."

Haley listened for a moment as Peyton passed the phone back over to Brooke.

"Hey again navigation girl," Brooke said lightly down the phone.

"Hey Brooke," Haley replied shaking her head from side to side in amusement. "So are you feeling better?"

"Seriously, you have no idea how nice it is to be out of that hospital Hales," Brooke answered her friend.

"I bet," Haley answered sincerely. "But I mean you're feeling ok and everything?"

For a moment there was a pause on the other end of the line and Haley thought maybe the call had disconnected.

"Brooke?" Haley asked when she didn't respond.

"Hales, I'm fine ok?" Brooke said dismissively. "Don't worry about me…you have enough to worry about with the tutor baby."

"Yeah but Brooke…" Haley begun.

"Honestly Hales, everything's fine." Brooke cut her off. "I'm fine…. Peyton's fine…oh by the way…what are the odds that your baby will be smarter than me when it's born?"

"What?" Haley said laughing.

"You know what? Never mind…" Brooke said into the phone. "We can discuss it when I get back ok?"

"Brooke…" Haley said still laughing.

"See you soon Hales." Brooke said as she disconnected the call.

"…I need to know where you are?" Haley trailed off.

For a moment Haley looked at the phone in disbelief and laughed to herself before redialling Peyton's number and continuing on her way towards the library.

**(Tree Hill High School: Whitey's Office)**

As Nathan made his way slowly down the quiet corridor towards Whitey's office, a sudden surge of guilt began to overwhelm him. With each passing step, Nathan felt this guilt intensify, until finally, he was standing hesitantly outside of Whitey's office, his hand poised inches from the door.

For a moment, Nathan stood silently outside the door, fearful of what he was about to do. Since Nathan had joined the Raven's basketball team, Whitey had played a large part in his life, influencing him in more ways then even Nathan had realised up until this point.

Although there had been numerous occasions over the years that he and Whitey had not seen eye to eye, Nathan understood now, that it was only because he was trying to do the right thing by him.

Before Haley had come into his life, Nathan had been stubborn and arrogant and believed that the team, along with Whitey owed him something for putting in a game winning performance when it was needed. However, Nathan soon came to realise that this was not the case, that if anything, he owed them.

Nathan soon came to comprehend that playing basketball was an honour and that there were a hundred other people who would gladly fill his spot without hesitation. It only when he understood this that Nathan recognised that he owed Whitey a lot, that without Whitey supporting him and allowing him to play basketball, Nathan would never have had the opportunity to follow his dream.

As he thought about that now, Nathan felt ashamed that he'd betrayed Whitey's faith and trust in him. That he'd dishonoured the game that he'd loved for so long. Standing outside of Whitey's office now, Nathan sighed heavily, before tapping gently on the door.

"Come in," came Whitey's deep voice from the other side.

At the command, Nathan reached down and opened the door slowly, shifting uncomfortably as he made eye contact with Whitey.

"Nathan," Whitey said as he placed some papers into a box atop his desk. "What brings you here this early in the morning?"

For a moment, Nathan didn't answer, instead glancing around the room at the now barren walls and the numerous boxes piled on the floor. Whitey watched Nathan closely for a minute before speaking once again.

"I don't have all day son," Whitey said as he continued to remove items from his desk drawers and place them into the box before him.

"Sorry coach," Nathan said shaking his head slightly and regaining his focus.

"I'm not your coach anymore Nathan," Whitey said matter of factly. "So I guess that means that you can call me Whitey now."

Nathan looked slightly surprised as the realisation that he would no longer attend another of Whitey's practices hit him.

"Uh…" Nathan began hesitantly. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?"

"This about the point shaving?" Whitey asked seriously as he looked up from placing a picture into the box on his desk to meet Nathan's gaze.

"Yeah," Nathan said uncomfortably. "I just…I thought you should know that I'm going to admit to it." 

"You are?" Whitey asked steadily as he raised an eyebrow.

"I know that I let myself down coach," Nathan continued apologetically. "That I let the team down by what I did…but most of all…I let you down."

Whitey continued to watch Nathan silently as he carried on.

"And I'm sorry for that." Nathan said sincerely. "If I could go back and change what I did then I would coach. This game has been good to me and I took advantage of that."

Nathan paused for a moment to consider what he would next say before continuing.

"I know that you must be disappointed in me coach," Nathan said honestly as he avoided Whitey's gaze. "But I made a mistake…one that I'm willing to pay for now."

Nathan took a step closer towards the desk before speaking again.

"I know that we've not always seen eye to eye coach. That there were times when you probably wanted to give up on me," Nathan said quietly. "But you didn't. You gave me the chance to follow my dreams and make something of myself. An opportunity that I never fully appreciated until now."

Whitey watched Nathan with interest as he continued, his face betraying no sign of his emotions. This lack of ability to read Whitey's expression was making Nathan slightly uncomfortable in the confined space of his office.

"All these years, I thought that you were just trying to teach us about the game…but you weren't. You gave me so much more than I ever truly realised. You taught us that there's more to life than just the game." Nathan continued. "You led by example coach, by showing us how to be men and accept responsibility for our actions…how to let the game go and move on."

Nathan exhaled slowly before continuing.

"More than anything, I'm sorry for that coach," Nathan said regretfully. "That I wasn't the man you believed me to be and that I betrayed your trust. I know that I can never repay you fully for what you've done for me and I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness…but I want you to know that I respect you for the person that you are…and I just hope that someday, I can be half the man that you are."

"Is that it?" Whitey asked after Nathan had finished.

"That's it," Nathan answered sadly.

"Right," Whitey said. "Now maybe you'll let me talk."

Nathan frowned slightly at Whitey's words but listened carefully as he continued.

"Nathan, over the past couple of years you've grown more than any other boy on the team," Whitey said walking around the desk towards him. "And you coming here today proves that. I remember a time when Nathan Scott wouldn't apologise for his actions, when he'd pass the blame and hide behind his fathers name."

Whitey paused for a moment before carrying on.

"You think that you're the only person to ever make a mistake Nathan?" Whitey asked him rhetorically. "Because let me tell you, that everybody screws up at some point in their lives son. It's how you deal with those mistakes that determine the person that you are, that defines your character."

Whitey smiled slightly at Nathan, who was puzzled by his coach's reaction.

"The fact that you're standing here today and accepting responsibility for what you've done Nathan, that says a lot about the _man_ that you _are_." Whitey said proudly placing a hand firmly on Nathan's shoulder. "It's easy to make a mistake Nathan, but what's hard is facing up to that mistake…"

Whitey paused for a moment before continuing.

"You're wrong, you know…right now you're the man that I always knew that you could be Nathan" Whitey said genuinely. "And I'm proud of you for doing what's right and admitting that you lost your way. There's no shame in that. Seeing the man that you've become, that all the boys on the team have become…that's more repayment than I could ever ask for."

Whitey patted Nathan on the shoulder lightly as he smiled at him.

"Thank you," Nathan said sincerely a sad smile crossing his face. "For everything coach… for believing in me and giving me the opportunities that you have…I really appreciate everything you've done for me and I'm sorry that I let you down."

As he said this, Nathan threw Whitey another small smile and made his way to the door of the office. Whitey watched as Nathan stepped out into the corridor and turned back around to face him.

"I'm going to miss you Whitey." Nathan said honestly. "I just thought that you should know that."

At this Nathan turned around and began to start on his way towards the library to meet Haley.

"Nathan," Whitey called after him.

At the sound of Whitey's voice Nathan turned around once more and face his coach.

"Don't be a stranger." Whitey said smiling at him.

Nathan smiled in return and nodded before continuing on his way towards the library. Whitey watched as he left, a smile on his face and tears forming in his eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

**(Tree Hill: The River Court)**

"_Mouth…" Lucas started again quietly, a note of worry in his voice. "Whose purse did you take it from?"_

_Mouth closed his eyes momentarily as he sighed._

"_Brooke's," he said quietly in defeat. "I took it from Brooke's purse…I found it when me and Skills took her back to her room in Honeygrove…she was drunk, she…I had to get her room key out of her purse…and I saw it…"_

_Mouth noticed the look of disbelief on Lucas' face and took a step closer towards him._

"_Lucas?" he asked worriedly._

"Wait a minute," Lucas said putting his hand up in front of Mouth to prevent him from saying anything further. "You took it from Brooke's purse?"

Mouth noticed the look of confusion on Lucas' face and nodded sadly as he answered.

"Yeah," Mouth said quietly.

"Brooke…Brooke?" Lucas asked disbelievingly.

"Lucas…" Mouth began.

"No wait a second," Lucas said watching Mouth carefully. "You're seriously telling me that you found this in Brooke's purse? Brooke Davis?"

For a moment Mouth didn't respond to Lucas' question, instead taking the opportunity to glance down at the floor before him uncomfortably.

"Mouth?" Lucas prompted again when his friend continued to ignore his question. "Is this really Brookes?"

"I already told you…" Mouth began understanding Lucas' reaction to the news.

When Mouth had first discovered the packet in Brooke's purse the night of the Honeygrove prom, he'd been just as surprised as Lucas was now. Even though Brooke had a reputation as being a party girl, Mouth knew as well as any of her friends that she wasn't the same girl now that she'd been back then.

Although Mouth understood that Brooke was going through a difficult time right now he still couldn't accept the fact that she'd fallen back on bad habits to see herself through it. It was partly because of this doubt that Mouth had kept this finding to himself.

For all Mouth knew, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the drugs presence in Brooke's purse and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her by accusing her of doing something which she wasn't. Mouth had intended to ask Brooke about the drugs the next morning when she had sobered up from her self-destructive drinking with Chris Keller. However, Brooke's sudden admission into hospital had prevented him from speaking to her.

"I know," Lucas interrupted his friend, disbelief still evident in his voice. "I just…. this isn't her Mouth…the Brooke I know wouldn't do drugs."

"Well, then maybe you don't know her as well as you thought?" Mouth said cuttingly as he met Lucas' gaze.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked Mouth defensively.

"Oh come on Luke," Mouth said simply in response. "You two haven't exactly been close since you broke up."

"You don't think I'd notice if something was wrong?" Lucas asked not liking what Mouth was insinuating.

"Honestly?" Mouth asked him laughing slightly. "No, I don't."

Mouth paused for a moment to glance at Abby who was watching the conversation between the two boys with a look of confusion on her face.

"I think I'll head to school," Abby said to both Lucas and Mouth. "Give you some time to talk…just…call me later with the details about the next part of the plan ok?"

Lucas nodded at Abby and smiled gratefully as she turned and began to make her way to school and away from the two of them. Once she was out of earshot, Lucas turned his attention back to Mouth again.

"I mean think about it Lucas," Mouth continued, returning his gaze to his friend after watching Abby leave. "Brooke's been sick for months and you had no idea…no one did."

"That's different," Lucas said in an attempt to defend himself.

"How?" Mouth asked seriously.

At Mouth's question, Lucas looked at the ground before him and ran his hand quickly through his hair obviously trying to think of a valid reason to reply with. However, when nothing came to him, Lucas dropped his hand dramatically by his side and sighed heavily.

"Fine," Lucas said quietly. "You're right ok, Mouth?"

"Listen Lucas," Mouth said as he placed his hand comfortingly on his friends shoulder. "I don't know why Brooke had it in her purse, ok?"

"But she talks to you Mouth…" Lucas said a confused expression on his face.

"No," Mouth said sadly shaking his head. "As much as I'd like for Brooke to be able to open up to me about things Luke, she won't. She'll only let me in so far…"

"Then maybe I should talk to her?" Lucas suggested.

Mouth frowned at Lucas' offer.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Mouth said honestly. "Excluding the past 72 hours Lucas, when exactly was the last time that you two had a proper conversation?"

Mouth paused for a moment to let Lucas absorb his words.

"Lucas, you haven't exactly been friends recently." Mouth added simply.

"That's not fair," Lucas, said protectively. "We've talked…"

"About what?" Mouth asked interestedly cutting Lucas off.

"A lot of things," Lucas responded struggling to give Mouth a proper answer.

"Such as?" Mouth prompted again, unsatisfied with Lucas' response.

When Lucas failed to provide anything further, Mouth sighed and carried on.

"Look Lucas," Mouth said understandingly. "I know that you're with Peyton now ok? And I know that the situation hasn't exactly been easy for anyone involved but do you mind if I ask you something?"

Lucas frowned slightly at Mouth's question before nodding the affirmative.

"When you were dating Brooke, you could talk to Peyton right? I mean you were friends? You shared things with each other?" Mouth asked simply. "You told each other what was happening in your lives?"

"Yeah," Lucas said quietly in response. Deep down Lucas had a feeling he knew where Mouth was going with this.

"So why couldn't you do that with Brooke?" Mouth asked questioningly.

"You mean apart from the fact that she didn't want anything to do with me?" Lucas countered.

"After then," Mouth said quickly. "After the basketball awards banquet when you agreed to be friends?"

"How do you know about that?" Lucas asked slightly surprised that Mouth knew about his and Brooke's conversation.

"Brooke told me," Mouth said simply watching Lucas closely. "So…why can't you be friends with Brooke like you were with Peyton? What's different?"

"There's history there Mouth," Lucas said unconvincingly.

"So," Mouth said. "You had history with Peyton too if I remember rightly."

"Look Mouth," Lucas said. "I don't see what this has to do with anything alright? Someone needs to talk to Brooke about what's going on with her. If she is using this stuff then we need to do something…"

"I know we do," Mouth, answered him. "But you're not going to be the person to talk to her about this Lucas. Personally, I think that you should stay away from Brooke as much as possible…"

"Why?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"Because I think there's a reason that you can't remain 'just friends' with Brooke, Lucas," Mouth answered honestly. "And neither her nor Peyton need complications like that right now."

"Mouth…" Lucas began surprised at his friends' bluntness.

"Please," Mouth pleaded. "Do this for me Lucas."

For a moment Mouth continued to meet Lucas' bewildered expression before patting his friend gently on the arm and walking past him in the direction of Tree Hill High School.

Lucas turned and watched after Mouth as he left, a look of disbelief on his face as he stared after his friend silently and ran his hand through his hair.

**(On the Road: Brooke's Car)**

It had been over an hour since Brooke and Peyton had left the gas station that they'd stopped at on their way back to Tree Hill. After Brooke had suddenly hung up the phone during their conversation, Haley had redialled Peyton's cell and asked the blonde for their current whereabouts so that she could look up directions on the Internet to help her friends find their way home.

After making note of the directions that Haley had relayed to her on a notepad from Brooke's car, Peyton had thanked the small tutor and her and Brooke had continued on their journey back to Tree Hill.

For the first half an hour of their car journey, Peyton and Brooke had talked about everything and anything they could think of and for a moment it seemed that both girls had managed to push aside all the drama of the last 72 hours.

In that half an hour it seemed to Peyton that she'd finally gotten her friend back after months of being estranged from one another. Although Peyton had been happy to have Brooke back in her life following prom, she couldn't help but feel that their relationship had changed with the knowledge of Brooke's condition and her subsequent admission into hospital following Honeygrove prom acted as a constant reminder of the fact that Brooke was not well.

Despite the fact that Peyton and Brooke had been able to joke and enjoy each other's company whilst she'd been in hospital, the sight and sounds of the various machines in the room had made it almost impossible to push aside the memory that Brooke had cancer. It was because of this that Peyton hadn't truly been able to relax in Brooke's company.

However, whilst they'd been driving together on their way home from Honeygrove, Peyton was reminded of previous road trips the pair of them had made together. Most notably in Peyton's memory was their journey to New York City for the Rogue Vogue fashion show shortly after Ellie's death.

As she continued to drive Peyton reminisced about not only that, but other good moments she'd shared with Brooke throughout their ten-year friendship. That combined with their easy conversation during the first half an hour of their car journey had been exactly what Peyton had needed to push the knowledge of Brooke's condition to the back of her mind and for the first time in months, Peyton finally felt as though she had her best-friend back. That all the drama and the fighting between them had never happened and that she could once again act like herself around Brooke without the fear of hurting her feelings or the knowledge that she was sick censoring what she said to her.

For the last couple of months, Peyton had begun to forget what it was like to have Brooke in her life that way. How good it felt to be able to mess around and joke like they used to in each other's company. As they continued on their journey home, Peyton was grateful that she'd had the chance to experience that feeling again, even if it was only short lived.

About forty minutes into the car journey home, the conversation between the two friends had fallen into a comfortable silence and Brooke who'd been suddenly overwhelmed by tiredness had gently rested her head against Peyton's shoulder as the blonde girl continued to drive.

Peyton had smiled to herself as she glanced momentarily at the brunette who was resting against her and with one free hand she'd reached down taken Brooke's hand in her own comfortingly.

For a while the pair of them had continued to drive in this position, until eventually Brooke had removed her head from Peyton's shoulder and rested it back against her the head rest of her own seat and closed her eyes. Shortly after that Brooke had fallen into a peaceful slumber and Peyton had let her rest as she continued to drive home.

For the best part of thirty minutes, Peyton had driven with nothing but the low sound of the radio to keep her company, however, out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Brooke stirring into wakefulness in the seat beside her. Peyton watched Brooke for a moment, every so often glancing back out at the road in front of her as Brooke sat herself up in her chair and shifted her position in her seat.

"Hey," Peyton asked smiling at her friend as she turned her attention from the road to meet Brooke's confused expression. "Are you feeling any better?"

Brooke groaned slightly as she rubbed at her eyes to clear the haziness that sleep had left in them.

"How long was I asleep?" Brooke asked Peyton, her voice raspy and quiet from just waking.

"About half an hour," Peyton answered her as she momentarily peered back at road before turning back to Brooke once again. "You were out like a light, I don't think anything would have woken you up."

"Where are we?" Brooke asked glancing out at the road before her trying to get her bearings.

"We're almost home," Peyton said looking at Brooke with concern as she noticed the pale complexion of her skin. "It's only about another ten minutes or so…"

Peyton trailed off as she noticed Brooke grimace slightly beside her.

"Hey…" she started, worry evident in her voice. "Brooke are you feeling ok?"

Brooke groaned again as she shook her head slowly from side to side.

"No," Brooke answered honestly as she suddenly reached towards her safety belt buckle. "Can you pull over a minute?"

Peyton quickly glanced into her rear view mirror before pulling over at the side of the road. The moment the car became stationary, Brooke unbuckled her safety belt and desperately opened the car door, lunging outside hurriedly.

Swiftly Peyton unbuckled her own belt and stepped out of the car, hastily making her way around the vehicle and kneeling down beside Brooke on the ground as she vomited. Peyton watched Brooke sadly as she continued to be sick and carefully took her hair in her hands and moved it out of the way with one hand.

With her free hand, Peyton gently rubbed soothing circles on Brooke's back. After a minute, Brooke leant back onto her ankles and wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. On seeing this Peyton released Brooke's hair from her hand and reached into her pocket to remove a tissue.

"Here," Peyton said offering the tissue to Brooke.

"Thanks," Brooke said gratefully, sounding slightly breathless from the sudden effort of afforded to her.

Peyton brushed a strand of hair out of Brooke's face as her friend wiped at her mouth once more with the tissue. Once she'd cleaned herself up a little, Brooke slowly attempted to stand, reaching out for Peyton's hand to help her overcome the uneasiness she was feeling in her legs.

Peyton took Brooke's hand worriedly and helped her stand up.

"Maybe you should stay sitting down for a while?" Peyton suggested to Brooke.

"No I'm ok," Brooke said holding on tightly to Peyton's hand.

"Are you sure?" Peyton asked as she helped Brooke back towards the car.

"Yeah," Brooke said to Peyton. "It's passed now, I feel a lot better honestly."

"Ok," Peyton said still concerned as Brooke returned to her seat in the car. "As long as you're sure though Brooke. I mean I don't mind waiting here for a bit if you want."

"No honestly," Brooke said throwing a small smile at Peyton. "I feel a lot better now."

Peyton smiled sadly back at Brooke before closing the passenger door and walking back around to her side of the car and getting in.

Once back in the car, Peyton glanced worriedly at Brooke who met her gaze steadily.

"Peyton, I promise I'm ok," Brooke said in an attempt to reassure her friend. "Really. I feel fine now."

Peyton didn't look entirely convinced by Brooke's words however, she continued to put the car into gear and pull slowly back onto the road to finish the final leg of their journey home.

After settling back onto the road, Peyton glanced back at Brooke.

"Just… tell me if you need to stop again, alright?" Peyton asked.

Brooke smiled at Peyton and placed a grateful hand on her friends arm.

"Trust me I will," Brooke said sincerely as she shook Peyton's arm reassuringly with her hand.

Peyton smiled at Brooke before turning her attention back towards the road. For the next ten minutes, the two of them sat in silence. Every so often Brooke would look at her cell phone expectantly.

Just as they were entering Tree Hill, Brooke glanced at her cell phone once more and sighed heavily causing Peyton to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked Brooke as she rested her cell phone on her knee.

"Nothing really," Brooke said quietly. "I just thought that my mom might have called back or something."

"What did she say when you called her earlier?" Peyton asked her friend.

"Nothing," Brooke answered simply. "It went straight through to her voicemail."

"Did you tell you were coming home?" Peyton questioned Brooke.

"Yeah," Brooke replied staring out of the window beside her. "I left her a voice message."

"She'll be here," Peyton tried to reassure her friend. "I know she will."

"Maybe," Brooke said staring out the window and taking in the familiar sights of home.

Peyton frowned at Brooke's words as she continued towards their destination.

"You don't sound convinced." Peyton finally said.

"Yeah well," Brooke replied. "It is my mom, I mean I've had enough empty promises from her to know that I shouldn't get my hopes up about her coming into town."

"This is different though Brooke," Peyton said. "I mean, even your mom wouldn't lie about this."

"I guess we'll see," Brooke said looking at Peyton as she pulled the car to a stop alongside the curb.

"Hey," Peyton said taking Brooke's hand in her own and squeezing it slightly. "Have a little faith huh? I think your mom will come through on this one."

Brooke smiled half-heartedly at Peyton before glancing outside the car window and realising where they were.

"Peyton?" Brooke asked slightly confused. "What are we doing here?"

At Brooke's question, Peyton glanced out the car window towards Karen's café and undid her safety belt.

"There's something that I need to sort out and I didn't want to leave you alone in a barely furnished apartment." Peyton answered returning her gaze back to Brooke.

"Well why don't I come with you?" Brooke asked Peyton as she looked up at the café door where Karen had just appeared.

"I don't think it's such a good idea that you come with me," Peyton said honestly taking Brooke's hand in her own comfortingly. "It's just…its something that I have to do alone. I won't be long, I promise ok? After I've finished I'll take you back to the apartment."

Brooke looked between Peyton and Karen who was now approaching the car from the café.

"Did you call ahead and let Karen know we were coming?" Brooke asked Peyton beginning to feel like she was a becoming a burden.

"I called whilst you were asleep." Peyton said releasing Brooke's hand. "I just wanted to make sure that it was ok for her to keep an eye on you?"

"You make it sound like I'm an invalid," Brooke said defensively.

"Brooke…" Peyton tried to reassure her. "It's not like that ok? I just didn't think you should be left alone right now…I'm just worried about you."

"Yeah…I know," Brooke sighed sincerely. "I'm sorry, I just…I hate people treating me as though I can't look after myself."

Peyton smiled sadly at Brooke and put a comforting hand on Brooke's arm. Just as she was about to say something in response to Brooke's word, Karen knocked gently on Peyton's window and the blonde girl opened the car door and stepped out of the car.

For a moment Brooke remained sitting in place and watching the exchange between the two of them through the window. After a minute or so, Brooke sighed heavily and opened her own door to exit the car.

Once outside the car, Brooke closed the door gently and began to make her way around the vehicle towards both Karen and Peyton. As she approached, Brooke put both her hands in her jean pockets and lowered her head to avoid Karen's concerned gaze. As she came to halt in front of Peyton, Brooke felt Karen step forward and pull her into a tight embrace.

At first Brooke was slightly stunned by Karen's reaction to her presence, however a quick glance at a guilty looking Peyton was all she needed to know that the older woman had obviously been told about her condition.

Brooke felt the arms around her torso tighten slightly and couldn't fight the urge to return the gesture. As she stood there, Brooke removed both hands from her pockets and wrapped them affectionately around Karen's back returning the warm embrace that the older woman was giving her.

After a moment, Karen relaxed her hold on Brooke and pulled away slightly so that one hand was still resting on the small of Brooke's back. Slowly Karen began to rub her back comfortingly and as she did, Brooke struggled to hold back the wave of emotions that suddenly swept over her.

Ever since she'd been diagnosed with cancer, all Brooke had wanted was for her mom to pull her into a warm embrace and tell her that everything was going to be okay. However, so far that need had gone unanswered. Since Brooke had lived with Karen during her junior year, the pair of them had become close and she often thought of Karen as a surrogate mother to her own.

It was because of this that Brooke was struggling to fight the need to breakdown in front Karen now. For some reason, the fact that Karen knew about the cancer made Brooke feel as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. That finally there was an adult who was present in her life that knew what was going on.

"Why don't we get you inside?" Karen said smiling at the young girl and pulling Brooke from her thoughts.

"Ok," Brooke said almost inaudibly as she nodded her head in agreement.

"I won't be long," Peyton, said to Brooke and Karen as she smiled warmly at the pair of them.

"I'll fix you something to eat," Karen offered kindly to Brooke.

"I don't know," Brooke answered hesitantly.

Since she'd been admitted into hospital, she'd barely been able to keep anything down and seeming vulnerable and sick in front of a café full of people was something that Brooke didn't want.

"Maybe you should try and eat something?" Peyton suggested, smiling sadly at Brooke.

Brooke seemed to consider Peyton's words for a moment before speaking.

"Actually I'm starving," Brooke confessed before turning to face Karen. "Do you have any cake lying around?"

Karen laughed at Brooke's words despite herself and began leading the brunette towards the café.

"I'm sure I could find something," Karen said as the pair of the climb the steps towards the café door.

Peyton watched for a moment as the pair of them disappeared inside the building before climbing back into the car and slowly pulling away from the curb.

**(Tree Hill High School)**

Following his discussion with Whitey earlier on, Nathan was now more determined than ever to finally own up to his part in the point shaving scandal. After leaving Whitey's office, Nathan had met up with Haley in the school library as planned and recalled the conversation they'd shared to her.

Haley was happy that the discussion with Whitey had appeared to calm Nathan's nerves somewhat and she was glad that he'd had the courage to talk to him before addressing the entire school. Haley knew that as much as Whitey might be hurt by the knowledge of a member of his team being involved in something such as point shaving, he would appreciate that Nathan had the decency to talk to him face to face, instead of shy away from a difficult conversation.

If there was one thing that Haley believed Whitey admired, it was honesty and even though he might initially be angry or upset at Nathan's betrayal, he would respect the fact that he confessed to his involvement and was willing to suffer the consequences of his actions.

From what Nathan had told Haley about the exchange between him and Whitey, it appeared that she had been right in how she thought the old coach would react and she was happy in the knowledge that Whitey was the decent man she'd always believed him to be.

Once Nathan had finished retelling his story, Haley had filled him in on the situation regarding Brooke and Peyton's early return from Honeygrove. Initially Nathan had been just as surprised as Haley and had questioned his wife on whether Brooke was truly ready to be discharged early. This question had earned a shrug from Haley who was no wiser on the situation in that respect than Nathan was.

Eventually the pair of them had collected their things from beneath the table where they'd been sitting and made their way towards their first class of the morning. Throughout the whole of their English class, both Haley and Nathan's mind were occupied by thoughts of what was soon to come following the sound of the school bell.

Following class Nathan remained seated for a while and allowed the rest of the students to leave before finally glancing at Haley who was sitting besides him at her desk. Slowly Haley stood from where she was sitting.

"Are you ready?" Haley asked Nathan and he too stood from his seat.

Nathan smiled at Haley as he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer towards his body. Haley placed her arm around Nathan's waist and smiled back at him as he answered her.

"Yeah I think I am," Nathan said kissing Haley softly on the forehead. "It's time for me to do the right thing."

"Ok," Haley responded squeezing Nathan slightly with her arm. "Then I'm here for you."

"Thanks," Nathan said gratefully as they slowly made their way out of the classroom and into the crowded hallway together.

As they walked towards the quad, Nathan and Haley passed a frustrated Lucas who was placing some books into his locker. Lucas stopped what he was doing as he noticed the two of them.

"Hey guys," Lucas said as they paused alongside him.

"Hey Lucas," Haley returned as Nathan smiled at his older brother and nodded his head in greeting. "You look a little tense is everything ok?"

"Uh…yeah," Lucas said closing his locker door quickly and turning back to face the pair of them. "I've just got some things on my mind that's all."

"You want to talk about them?" Nathan asked his brother sincerely. "Maybe it'll help."

"Thanks for the offer," Lucas answered gratefully. "It's nothing really, I just…I've tried calling Peyton's cell phone to see how everything is going and I kept getting diverted to her answer phone."

"Maybe she's still driving," Haley suggested.

"Driving?" Lucas asked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't she tell you?" Haley questioned surprised. "Brooke was discharged this morning. They called me and told me that they were on their way back to Tree Hill."

"What time was this?" Lucas asked feeling a little hurt that no one had called him.

"I don't know," Haley said thinking. "About an hour and a half ago. They're probably back by now though. I mean they were already half way home when they called."

"Why wouldn't they call me?" Lucas wondered to himself more than asked.

"Perhaps Peyton wanted to surprise you," Nathan suggested.

"Maybe," Lucas said noticing a nervous edge to Nathan's voice. "Are you ok?" Lucas asked Nathan concerned. "You seem edgy."

"Yeah, well that's probably because in a few minutes my entire college basketball career could be over." Nathan answered.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"I'm about to confess to the point shaving Luke." Nathan answered.

"Seriously?" Lucas asked his brother surprised. "Are you sure that's what you want? I mean this is your dream Nathan."

"I know," Nathan said smiling at Lucas. "But this is the right thing to do. I can't live a lie Luke and that's exactly what I'd be doing if I buried my head in the sand and allowed this to blow over."

Nathan paused for a moment trying to read Lucas' expression.

"Do you think that I'm making a mistake?" Nathan asked Lucas.

Lucas smiled at his younger brother before answering.

"No," Lucas said honestly. "I think that you're doing the right thing Nate."

"You do?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah I do," Lucas answered sincerely. "And I want you to know that I'll support you whatever your decision. You're my brother Nathan and I'll be there for you whatever happens."

"Thanks Luke," Nathan said smiling at his brother.

"Your welcome little brother," Lucas said patting Nathan reassuringly on the arm.

"Well then, I guess I should get this over with." Nathan said sighing heavily and looking towards the quad down the hallway.

"Hey," Haley said hugging Nathan closer to her side. "We'll do it together Nathan. You won't be alone."

"Ok then," Nathan said throwing a final smile at Lucas. "This is it."

At this Nathan and Haley turned to continued on their way towards the quad. As they began walking up the hallway together, Nathan felt a presence alongside him and turned to see Lucas walking with them.

"What are you doing?" Nathan asked Lucas.

"It's like Haley said," Lucas, answered Nathan. "We'll do this together. I mean what kind of brother would I be if I didn't stand by you whilst you did this huh?"

"You don't have to Lucas," Nathan said. "I know that you weren't happy when you found out what I was involved in with Dante and Bear…"

"I know I don't have to," Lucas said kindly. "But I want to Nate."

"Thanks man," Nathan said sincerely as he opened the door to the school building and stepped out onto the quad with Lucas and Haley. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Anytime," Lucas said truthfully.

As Nathan glanced around him at the people assembled on the quad and the small number of media personnel he suddenly felt extremely nervous about what he was going to do and froze in place as people began to crowd around him.

At his side, Nathan felt Haley squeeze his hand tightly for support. Nathan glanced down at Haley beside him and saw her smile reassuringly at him. Nathan squeezed Haley's hand back in a silent gesture of thanks as he felt Lucas place a firm hand on his shoulder.

Nathan glanced gratefully at Lucas for a moment before peering down at the ground before his feet as the crowds looked at him expectantly. Nathan sighed heavily before finally raising his head again to face the multitude of people before him and swallowed hard before beginning his confession.


	22. Chapter 22

**(Tree Hill High School)**

_Nathan glanced gratefully at Lucas for a moment before peering down at the ground before his feet as the crowds looked at him expectantly. Nathan sighed heavily before finally raising his head again to face the multitude of people before him and swallowed hard as he begun his confession._

"I was only two years old when I made my first basket and it wasn't until I was six that basketball went from being not only a game…but a sport." Nathan spoke steadily to the crowd gathered before him.

Beside him, Haley squeezed Nathan's hand reassuringly, silently prompting her husband to continue.

Nathan smiled at Haley kindly before glancing back into the expectant faces of the crowd and continuing.

"Since the first moment that I picked up a basketball when I was a kid, I've probably played between twenty and thirty thousand unofficial minutes of the game. However, from the age of six, when I started to see basketball as a sport, I have played seven thousand and seventy two official minutes." Nathan continued, meeting some of the glances thrown his way from the spectators.

At that moment, Nathan saw Whitey appear from the direction of his office onto the quad, causing him to pause in his speech. As he met Whitey's gaze, Nathan saw the old coach smile at him supportively and nod his head.

Nathan threw a small smile back towards Whitey grateful for his encouragement and carried on.

"Regretfully," Nathan said sadness evident in his voice. "I must confess that for thirty two minutes, over the course of two games this season… I did not compete to the best of my ability."

Nathan paused for a moment to briefly glance around at the crowd. At the sight of the spectators surprise to his last statement and the sound of hush whispers among the crowd, Nathan felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over him.

"For this I apologise to my coach, who has been nothing but supportive of me throughout the course of my high school basketball career." Nathan continued throwing a remorseful look towards Whitey before speaking again. "I also apologise to my team mates who have been like brothers to me over the past four years… and… I apologise to a brother that was a team mate."

As Nathan said this he glanced momentarily at Lucas who was standing beside him. Lucas smiled at his younger brother, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

"I'd also like to apologise to the rest of the students at this school, to the kids of Tree Hill that have looked up to me to lead by example." Nathan said looking momentarily at the ground by his feet. "And I'm sorry that that I fell short of being the role model I should have been."

For a moment, Nathan closed his eyes and sighed heavily before finally looking back up at the crowd around him and continuing.

"I'll admit that up until this point I have been a coward. That my fear of losing the opportunity to continue playing the game that I have loved for so long, prevented me from standing up and admitting my mistakes sooner." Nathan said regretfully. "That I wasn't man enough to take full responsibility for my actions."

Nathan paused for a moment to take a deep breath before speaking again.

"Despite what you may hear… I have never lost a game on purpose. However, the truth is still the truth. I could try and bend it or spin it to paint me in a better light, but at the end of the day there is still right and wrong." Nathan said sadly. "And I was wrong… I know that."

"Although I never lost a game intentionally, the truth is that I abandoned a game that has been incredibly good to me and by participating in point shaving I compromised not only the games integrity, but my own."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan noticed Whitey remove his blue Ravens basketball cap and wipe at his eye quickly with the back of his hand.

"To my coach… my wife, my brother," Nathan said glancing thankfully between Haley and Lucas. Haley squeezed Nathan's hand in acknowledgement as he continued. "To my father and my family…I apologise again. I know that my involvement in this will bring a burden on you all that isn't deserved."

Nathan paused again, sighing heavily as he once more took in all the faces, which at that moment were focussed directly on him.

"There is nothing that I can say to you today to fully express how deeply remorseful I am for the choices I made." Nathan continued quietly. "I know that what I did was inexcusable, however, I am willing to face whatever consequences my actions might have."

Nathan inhaled deeply before adding, "I love basketball… and I'm sorry that I betrayed it."

As Nathan finished, Haley squeezed his hand tightly in hers before comfortingly wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his chest. On his other side, Lucas smiled sadly at Nathan and patted him proudly on the back as his brother began to turn around. Together the three of them left the quad and the crowds behind them as they silently made their way towards the school car park.

**(Karen's Café)**

"_**I love basketball…. and I'm sorry that I betrayed it." Nathan's voice came from a TV in the café as Brooke listened to his speech whilst continuing to play with the untouched food on a plate before her.**_

It had been half an hour since Peyton had dropped Brooke off into Karen's care and for the majority of that time the young brunette had been sitting alone in the café whilst the pregnant woman attended to her many customers.

On seeing how busy Karen was, Brooke had offered to lend her a hand by helping to clear tables and take orders. However, Karen had been adamant that Brooke was in no way, shape or form to help her. Instead, Karen had insisted that Brooke take a seat in an empty booth and rest until Peyton returned.

Initially Brooke had attempted to protest, arguing that she was well enough to lend Karen a hand and that it wasn't fair that she should be struggling alone when she was pregnant. Although she had been grateful for Brooke's offer and knew that the young girl was more than capable of wiping down a few tables, Karen had still refused her assistance.

Karen understood that Brooke was trying to be helpful and she appreciated that enormously, especially considering that she was still recovering from her recent injury. However, Karen would never forgive herself if she allowed Brooke to help and something happened to her as a result.

Since Peyton had dropped Brooke off earlier, Karen couldn't help but feel protective of the girl and it was these motherly instincts, which were preventing the pregnant woman from accepting her assistance despite the fact that it was greatly needed.

Luckily however, the rush had soon died down and the situation was further relieved when another member of staff had begun their shift around ten minutes earlier. Shortly after the arrival of her employee, Karen prepared Brooke some food and took it over to where she was sitting at her table.

Despite Brooke's hunger, the brunette had barely touched her plate. From her position at the counter, Karen watched sadly as Brooke slowly moved the food around distractedly, her head resting gently on her hand propped up with her elbow on the table.

Slowly Karen finished wiping down the counter before her with a damp cloth, her eyes never leaving the lonely form of Brooke sitting nearby. After she'd finished cleaning the counter top, Karen turned towards her staff and informed her that she would be taking a quick break. As she began to make her way towards where Brooke was sitting, Karen placed the cloth down gently onto the counter and out of her hands.

"Is this seat taken?" Karen asked as she approached where Brooke was sitting.

On hearing Karen's voice Brooke looked up from playing with her food and smiled at the older woman.

"Knock yourself out," Brooke said gesturing for Karen to take the seat opposite her.

Karen laughed slightly at Brooke's words as she lowered herself into the booth opposite her and sighed heavily.

"What's so funny?" Brooke asked curiously as Karen gently relaxed into her seat.

"Nothing," Karen replied watching Brooke closely for a moment as the girl thought back on what she'd just said.

"Oh I get it," Brooke said, throwing one hand up in front of her as the realisation of her words struck. "Knock yourself out…I guess it's kind of ironic under the circumstances."

As she said this Brooke motioned up towards the large bruise still visible on her forehead.

"A little," Karen agreed as her eyes fell towards the barely touched plate of food before Brooke and she asked the brunette, "Don't you like it?"

"It's not that," Brooke answered quickly not wanting to offend Karen after she'd taken the time to make something for her it's just…"

"Brooke, I can make you something else if you'd prefer?" Karen offered kindly, interrupting what Brooke had been saying.

"No honestly Karen, it's…it's really nice… I guess… I'm just not very hungry after all." Brooke responded sincerely.

"Are you sure?" Karen asked Brooke. "It's no problem."

"No really Karen, it's great…" Brooke defended again. "I'm sorry…I must have lost my appetite or something."

On hearing this Karen glanced at Brooke worriedly.

"Are you feeling ok?" Karen asked with concern evident in her voice.

For a minute, Brooke didn't answer instead choosing to stare at her hands which were now resting on the table.

"Brooke?" Karen prompted, her voice anxious.

When she heard the concern in Karen's voice, Brooke glanced up to meet the older woman's gaze and smiled half-heartedly.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Brooke answered unconvincingly.

Karen gave Brooke a disbelieving look.

"Really?" Karen asked clearly still fretful.

"I'm just…" Brooke began avoiding Karen's gaze. "It's nothing really…"

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Karen asked comfortingly as she placed her hand reassuringly on top of Brooke's.

Brooke looked up slightly startled by the sudden touch and Karen withdrew her hand apologetically.

"I'm sorry," Karen said quickly noticing the dressing on the back of Brooke's hand where she'd had the cannula inserted. "Did I hurt you?"

"Uh…no," Brooke said. "You just…uh…you startled me that's all. I…uh…I wasn't expecting you to take my hand."

At Brooke's words, Karen felt a sudden sense of sadness overwhelm her.

"Brooke…" Karen began sadly as she comprehended what Brooke was telling her.

"It's alright," Brooke said glancing down again.

"I'm sorry that your parents aren't here," Karen said sincerely as she slowly reached out and took Brooke's hand in her own once again.

"Thanks," Brooke, said appreciatively as she pulled her hand away from Karen's once more.

"Brooke…" Karen said quietly as she looked at the girl before her.

"Karen you don't have to do this," Brooke said trying to explain.

"Do what?" Karen asked slightly confused.

"Worry about me," Brooke replied. "I mean…I'm not your daughter and I'm no longer dating Lucas…you don't have to feel responsible for me…"

Brooke paused for a moment before continuing.

"You have enough to worry about with that one." Brooke said gesturing towards Karen's extending abdomen and laughing a little.

At these words, Karen shifted slightly in her seat and leant forward over the table, reaching out and taking one of Brooke's hands in both her own comfortingly.

"I want you to listen to me Brooke," Karen said simply. "I don't want you to feel as though you're being a burden to me alright? Or that you can't talk to me about things because of everything that's happened between you and Lucas."

Karen paused for a moment, placing one hand gently on the side of Brooke's face.

"I know that I'm not your mother and maybe it's wrong of me, but I still think of you as my responsibility." Karen continued. "When Lucas told me what was going on I couldn't help but worry about you and 'd like to think that despite everything that's happened we're still close."

"Karen," Brooke said almost inaudibly as she fought back the tears which were threatening to fall.

"I care about you Brooke," Karen continued ignoring Brooke's protests. "I know that I'm not a substitute for your own parents but please…let me help you through this ok? At least…at least until they get here."

Karen paused for a moment as she saw Brooke reach up and wipe at her eyes with her free hand. Karen smiled at her sadly for a moment before continuing.

"I know that you think you can do this with just the help of Peyton and your friends Brooke," Karen said rubbing the young girls hand soothingly. "But if I know you as well as I think I do…you won't be honest with them or open up to them about how you're coping. You'll just put on your normal charade."

Brooke closed her eyes momentarily as she tried to compose herself. With every word Karen was saying, Brooke felt her resolve slipping even more and inside she was struggling not to break down at the compassion Karen was showing her.

From where she was sitting Karen could see Brooke resisting the urge to fall apart. Slowly Karen reached up and wiped at a tear, which had fallen down Brooke's cheek with the pad of her thumb.

"Brooke, it's ok to let it all out…" Karen said softly, almost inaudibly. "No one is going to think any less of you if you fall apart, ok? You don't have to pretend everything's all right around me."

As Karen watched Brooke closely she saw the girl's composure suddenly break and for a moment the pregnant women felt as though her heart would do the same thing. Quickly Karen rose from her chair and made her way around the table to sit beside Brooke.

Hurriedly Karen sat down and wrapped her arms comfortingly around Brooke's body as the brunette sobbed uncontrollably into her chest. Slowly Karen pulled Brooke in closer to her, rubbing the young girl's back soothingly with one hand as she gently stroked the side of her face with the other.

Karen closed her eyes as Brooke hold onto her tighter and she felt a tear roll down her cheek at the girl's pain.

"Shhhh," Karen said soothingly as she continued to draw small circles on Brooke's back with her hand. "It's okay…. everything's going to be all right…"

**(Tree Hill High School)**

Following his announcement, Nathan slowly made his way towards the school parking lot with both Haley and Lucas by his side. When they reached the car, Nathan kissed Haley affectionately on the forehead, removing his arm from around her shoulders and smiling lovingly at her.

As he reached into his pocket to retrieve the car keys, Nathan glanced towards Lucas and spoke.

"Hey Luke," Nathan began hesitantly. "Do you have your car here?"

"No, I walked in this morning." Lucas answered puzzled. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you could drive Haley to your mom's café for me?" Nathan asked as he finally found his keys and held them out for Lucas to take.

"You're not coming?" Haley asked Nathan just as confused as Lucas.

"I'll meet you there in a bit," Nathan said taking Haley's hand in his own. "There's just something that I want to do first."

"Do you want some company?" Haley asked squeezing Nathan's hand affectionately in her own.

"I'd love some," Nathan said as he bought Haley's hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. "However I think I should probably do this do this alone if that's ok?"

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked as he distractedly played with Nathan's car keys in his hand.

"To see Dan," Nathan answered simply. "I thought I should probably tell him about what happened."

"That's if he doesn't already know," Lucas said gesturing towards one of the many cameramen in the distance.

"Exactly," Nathan said.

"Well why don't you let me give you a lift?" Lucas said as he opened the car door before glancing back up at his brother. "Save you walking."

"Actually," Nathan said gratefully. "I think the walk will do me good. That way I can get it straight in my mind exactly what I'm going to say to him."

"Are you sure?" Haley asked as she looked up at Nathan.

"Yeah," Nathan reassured her. "I won't be long, I promise."

"Ok," Haley said smiling as she reached up to kiss Nathan gently on the lips. "I'm proud of you."

Nathan smiled lovingly at Haley's words and kissed her again.

"I don't think I could have done it without you." Nathan said sincerely as he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too," Haley said pulling Nathan into a warm embrace.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley for a moment, before she pulled away.

"Ok…so… I'll see you in a bit," Haley said as she kissed Nathan a final time. "Good luck."

With one final glance towards Nathan, Haley made her way around the car and slowly got into the passenger seat.

When she was inside, Nathan turned to Lucas.

"Listen thanks for everything Luke," Nathan said gratefully.

"No problem little brother." Lucas said placing a firm hand on Nathan's shoulder momentarily as he too entered the car.

Nathan watched for a minute, whilst Lucas turned over the engine and pulled out of the schools' parking lot. Once the car had disappeared out of sight, Nathan sighed heavily and slowly began to make his way towards his dad's house.

As Nathan slowly walked, his mind started to wander back to what he'd just done. Whilst he'd been giving his speech, Nathan hadn't had the time to contemplate what the consequences of his actions would mean for his and Haley's future.

Although he'd already known that the chances were he would no longer play college basketball, it wasn't until this moment following his admission of guilt that the truth of that fact finally hit him. Suddenly, Nathan felt a sense of panic flood over him as he wondered what this would mean for his future. His dream was over and Nathan was anxious at the prospect of not knowing what to do next with his life.

Nathan knew that he didn't have the grades or the money to go to college without a basketball scholarship, especially with a child on the way. Haley had forsaken her dream of attending Stanford so that he could follow his own of playing basketball for Duke. However, as he continued to walk now, Nathan couldn't help but feel responsible for ending Haley's so soon.

It was because of him that both he and Haley had lost out on their dreams and for what? Haley would be following Nathan to Duke. However the chances were he would no longer be going. Perhaps Haley should follow her dream of attending Stanford? After all, what was there to stop her now that he'd lost out on his chance to play at Duke.

Just as Nathan was about to contemplate this further, he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Hey stranger," Peyton said from where she was sitting on the grass before Nathan.

"Hey" Nathan said surprised as he slowly glanced around to try and get his bearings. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking," Peyton said as she turned back to look at her mother's grave in front of her. "I needed to clear my head for a bit."

As she finished her sentence, Peyton peered back up at Nathan who was looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Peyton asked puzzled as she gestured for Nathan to take a seat beside her by patting the grass firmly.

"Honestly," Nathan said as he slowly took a seat beside her. "I have no idea."

Nathan paused for a moment, inhaling deeply.

"I was just on my way to tell my dad that I'd thrown my dreams away against his advice." Nathan continued after a moment. "I guess I just ended up here."

Peyton looked at Nathan curiously as his gaze shifted towards the direction of Keith's grave.

"Why what happened?" Peyton asked Nathan concerned.

As he explained everything that had happened to Peyton, Nathan stared into the distance, avoiding what he knew would be Peyton's shocked expression.

"I guess I screwed up pretty badly huh?" Nathan finally finished, looking up to meet Peyton's gaze.

"I guess so," Peyton said inhaling deeply and lowering her head for a moment.

"Gee thanks for the support Peyton," Nathan said playfully as he nudged her with his elbow.

"No problem buddy," Peyton teased causing Nathan to laugh.

Peyton watched Nathan closely for a moment as he stared out into the distance before him.

"Honestly," Peyton continued eventually. "I think you did the right thing Nate."

"Thanks Peyton," Nathan said sincerely meeting her gaze. "I just wish that doing the right thing solved all my problems."

Peyton didn't respond to Nathan's words, silently prompting for him to continue.

"I mean," Nathan carried on sensing this. "Me and Haley had it all figured out, you know? I'd go to Duke on my basketball scholarship and she'd come with me. We'd be a family. All of us together, me, her and the baby."

"So what's changed?" Peyton asked seriously.

Nathan threw Peyton an incredulous look.

"You mean besides the fact that they'll probably take my scholarship away from me?" Nathan asked her.

"Yeah," Peyton said smiling. "Besides that?"

"Peyton…" Nathan begun but his thoughts were cut short as Peyton interrupted him.

"Nathan, I know you think that losing your scholarship will change everything." Peyton said seriously. "But why does it necessarily have to be for the worse? You and Haley have been through a lot and you've survived it all. This is just another bump in the road for the pair of you to overcome together."

"How?" Nathan asked Peyton quietly. "I mean, what am I supposed to do now Peyton? Basketball was my life…I had everything planned around it, my whole future. It's the only thing I'm good at."

"For a start," Peyton said smiling at her friend. "Talk to Haley. You'll come up with something you'll see."

Peyton paused for a moment before continuing.

"Nathan, it'll all work out eventually. You have to believe that." Peyton said reassuringly. "I've never known you to give up on something that means so much to you. Otherwise you and Haley wouldn't still be together now."

Nathan smiled gratefully at Peyton as she continued.

"If basketball is your dream Nathan, then you shouldn't let go of it easily." Peyton carried on. "Dreams only come true for the people that chase them. Fairytales aren't handed out on a plate you know?"

"They're not?" Nathan asked feigning surprise.

"No," Peyton said earnestly hitting him gently on the arm. "If playing college ball is what you want then find a way to make it happen. Even if it does mean compromising your dream slightly to get a different version of it…so you might not get to play for Duke."

Peyton shrugged as she continued.

"Find someone else that'll have you and play for them?" Peyton finished.

"Thanks Peyton," Nathan said sincerely as he smiled at her.

"Nathan," Peyton said. "If for some reason basketball doesn't work out for you, I just wanted to tell you that there's something else out there for you, that basketball is not all you are or will be good at. You're a good husband Nathan and you're about to be a great father. I know it."

Peyton punched Nathan on the arm before speaking again as he moaned.

"So just remember that the next time you think that basketball is all you have in your life." Peyton finished. "Because it isn't."

"Firstly," Nathan said laughing. "Was the hitting really necessary? And secondly, thank you. That means a lot to me Peyton."

"No problem," Peyton said glancing back at the grave before her.

"So now that I've shared," Nathan said watching Peyton closely. "You want to tell me what you're really doing here?"

Nathan frowned slightly as a sudden realisation came to him and he glanced around for a moment as though in search of something.

"Also," Nathan continued. "Where the hell are you hiding Brooke? Did you leave her in Honeygrove?"

"No," Peyton said laughing and looking at Nathan. "Of course not. I dropped her off at the café with Karen."

"So you could come and brood in the cemetery?" Nathan asked. "I thought you'd stopped all that when you started dating Lucas?"

Peyton continued to laugh at Nathan as she spoke.

"Well, I just didn't think it was particularly appropriate to bring Brooke to the cemetery considering…." Peyton trailed off.

"Yeah well, knowing Brooke she probably would have found a way to make a joke about it." Nathan said laughing.

"Probably," Peyton said. "I really did come here to think though. I just…whenever something big happens in my life…I don't know…I guess… I always find it helpful to talk about it here. I don't know. I guess I find comfort here for some reason."

Peyton glanced at Nathan for a moment before continuing.

"You know, here I can say how I truly feel without having to worry about hurting anyone's feelings." Peyton carried on. "I can get things off of my chest and not feel as though I'm acting crazy and talking to myself because deep down, a part of me thinks that maybe somewhere out there my mom's listening."

"I think I know what you mean," Nathan said glancing back over towards Keith's grave for an instant.

When Nathan turned back to Peyton he continued.

"But you know… I think you can talk to Brooke about what's going on?" Nathan said seriously. "She'd want to know how you're feeling…and if not…then you can always talk to Lucas."

Nathan watched Peyton for a moment before adding, "In fact, I'm surprised you haven't called him yet."

"You're right." Peyton said after taking a minute to think. "I know I can talk to both Brooke and Lucas…it's just…I don't want to worry either of them. Brooke's got enough to worry about already and Lucas has his mom…"

"Peyton," Nathan said disbelievingly cutting her off. "Friends are supposed to worry about you…otherwise they're just kind of…I don't know…strangers I guess."

Peyton laughed at Nathan's words.

"I know," Peyton agreed. "But this way I get to feel better without involving them. You guys have enough to worry about…"

"Seriously after I just dumped all my problems on you, you're not going to let me return the favour?" Nathan interrupted her.

"It's stupid really," Peyton, said secretly glad that Nathan was here to talk to. "I was just going to go to my house and pick up some things to take back to your apartment…but I got there…and I couldn't…I couldn't go inside."

"Peyton," Nathan began placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok to be scared."

"But I shouldn't be," Peyton countered. "I mean, Derek's locked up now…it's just, I got there and suddenly I couldn't shake that feeling that he was watching me, you know? I kept remembering what happened that night and with Brooke…I guess I blame myself for what happened to her…that she was there because of me."

"It wasn't your fault Peyton." Nathan said reassuringly.

"I know," Peyton said sadly. "But I can't help thinking that if she'd not come over during prom, she wouldn't have been put in hospital in Honeygrove."

"No one was to know she'd end up in hospital Peyton," Nathan said honestly. "It was just an accident that's all. Besides if she hadn't gone to your house that night to try and make things up with you, then we might not be having this conversation right now."

Peyton shared a meaningful look with Nathan before sighing heavily. For a moment, the pair of them sat in silence, both deep in their own thoughts until Nathan eventually spoke up.

"Tell you what," Nathan said. "Why don't I go with you to your house? We can pick up the things you need and then go and meet the others at the café."

"What about your dad?" Peyton asked Nathan seriously.

"He can wait." Nathan said. "I'm tired of all this brooding and worrying anyway. I just want to spend some time with my friends. Forget about things for a little bit. There's plenty of time for worrying tomorrow."

Peyton smiled at Nathan as he stood up and offered her his hand.

"What do you say?" Nathan asked smiling. "You in?"

Peyton took Nathan's hand and he helped her to stand up from where she'd been sitting on the grass.

"Yeah," Peyton said brushing off her the grass on her jeans. "I'm in… Let's have some fun."

**(Karen's Café)**

"Are you feeling any better?" Karen asked Brooke as she slowly approached the table carrying drinks for the pair of them in her hands.

After she had burst into tears earlier, Karen had allowed Brooke to sob in her comforting arms, gently reassuring her that everything was going to be ok until she could cry no longer. As Brooke finally regained her composure, she slowly began to open up to Karen about everything that was going on and for a while she'd felt as though a huge burden had been lifted from her.

"Yeah," Brooke said smiling gratefully at the pregnant woman. "Thank you Karen."

Karen smiled at Brooke as she carefully set the two cups down on the table in front of them and took the seat next to her.

"Don't keep things bottled up Brooke," Karen said placing her hand reassuringly on top of the brunettes. "We all need a good cry some times. There's nothing wrong with that."

Brooke laughed slightly at Karen's words.

"Maybe I should start listening to people more often," Brooke said in response.

"Since when do you listen to what anyone else tells you?" Karen asked laughing. "It must be the head injury talking."

Brooke looked at Karen gratefully as she next spoke.

"Seriously though Karen, thank you." Brooke said sincerely. "It means a lot to me, knowing that I have you to turn to if I need you. Like I said before, you don't have to listen to me."

"Well, you can come to me anytime." Karen said slowly rising from her chair. "You know that now."

Brooke nodded her agreement.

"Good," Karen responded feigning a stern look. "Now, if you're not going to eat, at least have something to drink. I'm just going to check on something in the kitchen, I'll be right back."

Brooke watched as Karen disappeared into the back of the café whilst sipping slowly from the hot chocolate Karen had placed on the table before her. Just as she lowered the mug, Brooke heard someone call her name and turned to see who it was.

"Tutor girl." Brooke said as she stood up from her chair to give Haley a hug. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Uh it's a long story," Haley laughed as she hugged Brooke warmly. "I'll explain it later."

"Ok," Brooke said as Haley released her slightly and held onto her shoulders.

"Is Karen here?" Haley asked Brooke as she turned to see Lucas entering the café.

"Yeah she's out the back," Brooke said pointing towards the kitchen.

"Ok I'll be right back," Haley said letting go of Brooke's shoulders. "I want to hear how everything went, alright? Don't go anywhere."

"I promise," Brooke, said laughing slightly as Haley made her way to see Karen, just as Lucas was approaching.

"Hey," Lucas said as he reached Brooke and pulled her into a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," Brooke said hugging him back for a moment before releasing him and sitting back in the booth. "A little tired I guess."

Lucas took the seat opposite Brooke as he answered.

"I'm glad you're alright," Lucas said watching Brooke closely. "Where's Peyton?"

"She said she had something she needed to do." Brooke answered taking another sip of her drink.

"You know what it was?" Lucas asked a little hurt that Peyton hadn't called him.

"No sorry," Brooke answered placing the mug back onto the table in front of her. "She shouldn't be much longer now though."

Lucas nodded sadly for a moment, watching Brooke closely as he struggled with the decision to ask her what he'd been desperate to since this morning. Although Mouth had told Lucas that the drugs he'd given Dan were originally Brooke's. Lucas still didn't want to believe it to be true. He knew Mouth had asked him to keep his distance from Brooke and wait for him to broach the subject with her. However, Lucas wanted answers now. He couldn't wait for Mouth to talk to her.

"Hey Brooke," Lucas whispered as he leant forward slightly in his seat. "I need to ask you something."

"Ok," Brooke said, a confused expression on her face and imitating his tone. "But why are you whispering?"

Slowly Lucas reached into his pocket and pulled out the small packet of white powder he had there. Brooke raised her eyebrows quizzically as Lucas slid something across the table beneath his hands and Lucas watched her carefully as he began to uncover what he had hidden there.

Initially Brooke just stared at the packet with a look of confusion on her face and Lucas sighed inwardly believing Mouth to have made a mistake. That Brooke didn't know anything about the drugs. However, as the realisation of what Lucas had been concealing hit Brooke, her expression suddenly turned to one of surprise and recognition.

As he met her questioning look, Lucas felt his heart drop in his chest and he slowly replaced the small packet to where he'd taken it from.


End file.
